Traditionally, a woman’s role is to be a great wife and mother to her children. Women didn’t used to be known to occupy positions of power especially in offices with all the politics involved but a lot has changed. History has been made from women getting the opportunity to cast votes to being able to drive cars in some places around the world.
Of course, these rights didn’t come on platters of gold; a lot of women had to defiantly and relentlessly fight for the rights to be enjoyed.
Now, we see women presidents, women CEOs and so many other women in powerful decision making positions all around the world. This fairly newly acquired status has been a major source of inspiration to average women all around the world. There is a new awakening that the only limitation that exists for a woman to achieve her dreams is the ones she creates herself.
Much as a lot of progress has been made, getting to the top of whatever career one chooses is never easy. People make a lot of sacrifices and these sacrifices may be more for a woman. This is because of the traditional expectations of the society and the natural nurturing spirit of a woman.
These days, when we see Britain’s Theresa May or Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, the ultimate question that begs for answer is, can a woman have it all?
Known for her candidness on this subject matter PepsiCo CEO, Indra Nooyi said No, a woman can’t have it all.
She said many women pretend like they have it all or can have it all, however something always gives.
On a more positive note, she shared that a balance can be achieved.
Being married for 34 years with two daughters definitely comes with a lot of experience. In her chat with the Atlantic she discussed how she has to make a decision every day about whether she wants to be a wife or a mother. Sometimes, she shared that in fact, many times during the day you have to make those decisions.
For any woman seeking to rise in career while still keeping the homefront, Nooyi suggests you have to be a great planner.
It is very important to put things in place for them to work. For sanity’s sake, she devised a method through which her children get permission for certain things through her personal assistant. Her personal assistant runs her children through certain sets of questions which if answered correctly allows her children to play with friends, play video games, and take part in other activities
She is sure, if asked, her children would say she is a good mom.
Perhaps, you can have it all.
