Is it possible for a mother to “have it all”‐a successful career and a good family life?
Nowadays, many women work. The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says that, in 2006, women employees were 41.6% of the workforce in Japan. But according to The Japan Times, only 25.3% of Japanese corporations want women to work after giving birth. These numbers show that, although women provide a large part of labor, they are still undervalued when it comes to their additional roles as mothers. This can make it seem impossible for a family-minded woman to have a successful career, and vice versa.
However, although it seems difficult, I think women can “have it all.” If women can get help from their families, communicate with others and make an extra effort in their work, they can enjoy the benefits of both a successful career and a happy family life.
To start, support must begin at home. I think families should make roles of housework.
Then women’s responsibilities at home will decrease and they will be able to concentrate on their work. Also, children will be able to learn the importance of work and helping others. Participating in housework helps children to become independent, too.
In my house, my mother cooks meals, my father washes the dishes and clothes, and I clean the bathroom and entrance hall. So, my mother doesn’t have to do everything by herself. She can make more time to do her work, or to be relaxed and put her heart and soul into her work the next day.
In addition, women should communicate with others like colleagues and neighbors, who can also provide additional help. For example, if a woman’s child has a cold and she can’t go home immediately, her neighbor will take care of the child. And if she has built a good rapport with colleagues at work, they may be willing to take her place or some of her workload so that she will be able to go home sooner than usual. Being a mother is a 24-hour-a-day job, but a woman cannot be everywhere at once. Good relationships with coworkers, neighbors and relatives are essential to provide support to a working mother.
More over, women have to make more efforts than men to prove themselves necessary to companies. It may seem easier to employ men than women because men don’t get pregnant and have babies. That’s why men appear able to do more at work than women who want a family. So women must work harder than men if they want to be considered equal. But women don’t simply have to work longer than men. Instead, they must be more productive in other ways, thinking of creative ideas or working faster and with greater accuracy. Then companies will want them to stay, even after long leaves for maternity and childcare.
As you can see, it is not impossible for women to have it all. To do it, women need support of other people like families, fellow workers and neighbors. But they also have to make great efforts to achieve their dreams. Then women can get both a successful career and a good family life. Though it is still hard for women to work, the younger generation has a chance to change the situation. And we can make a world with no discrimination in the future.
Thank you very much.
（大分県立大分上野丘高校2年 麻生夏鈴）
