Change

I was at at a Stay & Play group today. All mums and little ones, no dads. I spoke with one of the mums about her husband working full time and she taking full time care of the children. She would love to have another balance at home with her husband working: sharing child care and education. But that seems impossible, when part time work is as scarce for women as it is not done for men so it seams. You either work full time, or you don't work. Result: daddy has a career, works full time, mommy stays at home. Or she works (after 1 child) and waits for her upcoming maternity leave (2 child) .... because  after 2 children, she doesn't work anymore because the pressure on the family structure is too high.

I hear myself shouting: "but what about those talented women who just stay home, what about the studies they did, what about part time work, what about Flexibel Working, what about the role model they are for their children, what about those stupid organisations with their rigid way of thinking, what about .......!!??"

It made me wonder who benefits from this old school working structures in England and other countries. Not the children, they only see their father in the weekend and are with their mother all week. Not the mommy, she wants to work part time in an organisation setting, or do other things in her live that bring her fullfilment other than taking care of the children 5 days a week. Not the daddy who are unhappy over employers' childcare policies. Not the employers, they don't have the advantages of diversity, female leadership, organisational talents within their organisation. -Unfortunately they don't see it this way. Not yet-.

So yes, I really think that working full time is the old school economy. I do believe in full time working, but only if it is a personal choice. I understand and know that it is not always easy to change the way you think about your people working in other ways, other timezones, other structures, other hours. But with the new generation who will be the further leaders, with the recession we are in now, with the lack of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial skills, with the call for change and female leadership to be the change, with the burn outs, with the lack of energy people do their jobs just for the money, with  ......, I ask myself the question: do we have a choice?

I don't think so ....

So. Were does the change come from than? Who will be the change? I believe that you can be the change. It won't just "come". So if I am the change, how do I have to be? What to do? How to behave? What to say? With whom to talk? I ask myself these questions over and over again, especially after moving to England. And I haven't found all the answers yet. I do feel that being the change was easier working for de Baak in Holland. But well, I never follow the easy way, so ...  keep on walking and exploring Marianne! :-)