The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 11: Spring 2019 | Page 22

WOMEN IN BUSINESS
WOMEN HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A CAREER
AND A FAMILY - DON’T THEY?
INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S
DAY
A new survey in the South West has found a majority of women still feel they have to choose between a
career and a family – however the South West is bucking the national trend.
The study, by law firm Merali Beedle, found
53% of high-powered working women in the
South West believe there is an expectation
to choose between family and career.
Nationally, the figure was 71%.
The analysis of 2,003 professionals across
the UK paints a disconcerting picture for a
leading first world economy.
In an era of growing flexible working,
debate about diversity and the gender pay
gap – a high proportion of women in work
believe they cannot have it all.
We spoke to a number of businesswomen
locally who said the survey was not
necessarily painting a true picture. They felt
the issue was a little more complicated in
real life…
NAOMI SUMMERS
founder of Go Get Organised, Bath.
“I believe there are ways to adapt. We live in
a far more flexible time now. We are lucky,
technology also helps us.
“I spent years working within the television
industry, the hours were long and I changed
my career when I had my children, Corey,
who’s now nine, Roxy, who’s seven.
“They did their best to adapt for me, but I
felt as if I was no longer able to give it my all.
Having my children has turned out to be the
best thing for me, not only are they amazing,
but it is when I launched my own business -
something I would never have done or even
thought of before.
“I have taken small steps to grow my
business around my children - I make my
business work around them. The normal
9am -5pm hours have gone. I work to
support small businesses, and small
businesses never stop working!
“I run a business which offers a full range
of professional business support services on
a ‘pay as you go’ basis. We started out as a
team of professional mums who have skills
and childcare commitments. It now seems
many people want to work flexibly - they may
be dads, have dogs or properties etc. We have
adapted to include as many as we can. The
core of us remain an army of mums!”
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019
SARAH BAKER
Content writer for digital marketing
company Total Guide To and social media
management expert based in Bath.
mistakes in running a business? Yes. But that
is only natural and as long as I am always
striving to improve and do the best I can in
both areas then I feel satisfied overall with
what I have achieved to date.
“I could have worked more hours if I didn’t
have children as family life does take up a
lot of time. I wouldn’t change it for anything
and it just means progress is a little slower
moving the business forward which isn’t the
end of the world. My husband and I work
together within our Cake Cafe business
and so we are able to share both work and
parenting duties.”
JULIA STOCK
Director of Be Astute Coaching, Bath.
“My daughters are now 12 and 14 and the
lion’s share of childcare has fallen to me
since they were born. I am separated from
their father who has followed a successful
career in banking in London. I have been
trying to do the same but with all the
childcare burden/joys.
“Stress and guilt are the major emotions.
There is an overwhelming sense of not doing
either ‘job’ well. Either your children are
being ignored and learning bad behaviours
(on their phone like you are all the time),
or your clients are left waiting for answers.
Family time is impacted by work and work
can be impacted by family life. I can’t imagine
being able to slot back in to a full-time job
where I am expected to be in the office daily
and coordinate all my children’s activities and
so self-employment has offered me flexibility
without any of the guarantees.”
POPPY POWELL
Owner of the Cake Cafe, Bath.
“I have three children aged 11, seven and
five. My eldest daughter was born when I was
24. I have run my own businesses from the
age of 14 and have been solely dependent on
self-employed income from the age of 23. My
experience of juggling my work and family life
in a nutshell has been a positive one.
“Ultimately, I don’t feel I have had to
choose between the two. Have I made
mistakes in parenting? Yes. Have I made
“I probably do agree with the findings in that
they’re talking primarily about people in high-
powered sectors, which I presume is your
old-fashioned professions.
“I ran a family training company, which
my parents set up. It came to an end last
summer and now I’ve set up a business with
my husband. I had quite a junior position
when I was pregnant - and when I came back
after maternity leave after three and a half
months I went part-time three and a half
days a week and was promoted to a director.
Then I was promoted to managing director
when my son was five. So family life didn’t
hold me back in terms of my career at all.
After the first five years of my son’s life when
I was promoted to MD I said to my husband, ‘I
did the first five years, now it’s your turn’. So
he gave up his job working for a big London
employer and set himself up self-employed,
and had a brilliant time.
“It’s about team work. I believe very much
in not having both parents working full time.
They’re not kids for very long there’s not
much point in having them if you don’t want
to spend time with them and make sacrifices
for them. My son, who’s now 16, had a great
time growing up with a really active, involved
dad.”
CATHERINE MCGUIRE
Business Coach and Property Specialist.
“In my experience, it’s not been the case that
a woman can’t have a family and a successful
career. I have both. Fortunately, in my early
working life I had employers who were
accepting of my family situation and valued
my skills, therefore offered flexible working
conditions. I wouldn’t have taken on the
roles if that hadn’t been the case. Flexibility
however needs to work both ways.
“For example, when my children were
young, I was a Director of Marketing and
Development for a family business and
negotiated working partly from their office
and partly from home. In return, I agreed to
work occasional Saturdays when needed as
I was able to get childcare from my hugely
supportive parents.
“We were a single parent family for many
years and I solely cared for and supported
my two daughters Chloe and Emily. They’re
both in their twenties now, with my youngest
Emily, at university and Chloe, in full time
work. Emily was chronically ill and unable to
attend school a lot of the time, so I decided
to start my own business. Working from our
family kitchen table, I built up two successful
property investment and development
companies. For the last five years I’ve been
business coaching and mentoring other
entrepreneurs to achieve similar results.
“Juggling family life, three limited
companies and time away from home
working including overseas trips for speaking
events, has of course had its challenges.
Working with UK and International clients
thankfully means my working hours have
never been the out-dated nine to five routine.
Flexible working hours are highly compatible
around family life and along with technology,
has played a massive part in enabling me to
grow my career around family needs.
My motto has always been ‘family first’
and I’ve made sure my career has fitted
around exactly that. If you’re determined,
able to plan, can set and maintain time-
based boundaries for family and work, then a
successful career and amazing family life are
both possible.”