最好找個會做家務(wù)的老公│85后母親面臨哪些挑戰(zhàn)
在美國,“千禧一代”出生的年輕媽媽已經(jīng)占據(jù)了美國所有已為人母者的22%——要說的是,“千禧一代”在美國早已不是什么新詞了,它指的是在世紀之交出生、伴隨信息技術(shù)和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)成長起來的一代人,大致相當于國內(nèi)的“85后”、“90后”。和中國一樣,美國的這群“85”后們同樣是飽受爭議的一代,常被冠以散慢、懶惰、千人一面等許多帶有負面色彩的形容詞。 網(wǎng)絡(luò)上甚至還有一篇流傳甚廣的文章,名字就叫:《千禧一代是史上最差一代的七個理由》。 老一輩人總是愛抱怨新一輩,這并不是什么新鮮事。不過對“千禧一代”的橫加指摘還是很不公道的。特別是美國的“85后”們在一個特殊的領(lǐng)域上做得相當不錯,甚至遠遠超過了他們的父輩和祖父輩。這個特殊領(lǐng)域,便是如何在工作和生活中找到平衡。 總的來說,“千禧一代”的年輕媽媽們的幸福感要顯著強于上一代母親,不論是在工作還是在婚姻生活中都是如此。首先讓我們探索一下原因,其次再來談?wù)勎覀兠總€人從他們身上能學(xué)到哪些經(jīng)驗——不管你的年紀多大。 “85后”母親:選擇走自己的路 當“千禧一代”人的母親們,也就是“嬰兒潮”一代和“無名一代”出生的女性們考慮工作問題時,她們往往會想到女權(quán)主義運動和“打碎男權(quán)的天花板”。然而“千禧一代”的年輕母親們卻認為,夫妻雙方最好能有一人留在家里照顧孩子.據(jù)最近的一項調(diào)查顯示,60%的千禧一代人認為,夫妻雙方中的一人應(yīng)該辭職在家?guī)Ш⒆?,而“無名一代”(“70后”)和“嬰兒潮一代”(“50后”)分別只有50%和55%這樣認為。對于老一代美國人來說,這種決定也是多年來美國政治和社會運動的結(jié)果。但如今的年輕媽媽們卻將它看成一種個人的選擇。 科技影響了人的職業(yè)選擇 隨著科技的爆炸,以及遠程辦公、彈性工作制、遠程桌面等手段的涌現(xiàn),朝九晚五、循規(guī)蹈距的小隔間生活,已經(jīng)不再是所有“千禧一代”的必然職業(yè)選擇。越來越多的“千禧一代”開始選擇在家上班,從而省卻了辦公室成本和通勤時間。 這樣一來,他們一方面有了更多時間陪伴家人,另一方面也能在工作上變得更加高效。以紐約市為例,每名工人平均每年因上下班遲到而浪費的時間就高達74個小時。要注意,這74小時并非是花在上下班路上的時間,而是在上下班途中由于意外而導(dǎo)致上班遲到或是下班晚回家而浪費的時間。既然如此,為什么我們不能換種方式,讓自己隨時隨地都能開展工作,而非要等到自己到了辦公室再說呢? 有了智能手機,收發(fā)電子郵件、接打工作電話都變得極為方便,甚至可以讓你隨時隨地追蹤項目進度。熟悉數(shù)碼技術(shù)的人都明白,很少有什么工作是非要讓你朝九晚五地守在辦公桌前才能完成的。去年,“千禧一代”正式取代“無名一代”,成為職場中人數(shù)最多的主力軍,所以這種職業(yè)偏好將繼續(xù)影響整個職場的傳統(tǒng)與標準。 找個會做家務(wù)的老公 現(xiàn)在的年輕媽媽們并不認為做家務(wù)和帶孩子完全是自己的責任。男女平權(quán)的理念早已深入人心——這也歸功于當年我們的老媽們甚至祖母們的奔走呼號。現(xiàn)在,辭職在家?guī)Ш⒆印⑺⒈P子洗碗的,很可能有不少都是“千禧一代”的年輕爸爸們。 《母與女:工作母親世代報告》(The Mothers and Daughters: The Working Mother Generations Report)顯示,千禧一代的小夫妻們能夠很坦然地分配工作與家庭的職責,商量由誰去工作賺錢、誰來辭職帶娃。這是因為“千禧一代”的家族生活正在變得更加平等,夫妻雙方愿意分擔責任來維系家庭和諧。 提前做好人生規(guī)劃 “千禧一代”對職場成功的看法并不是線性的,這也就是為什么有些人認為“85后”的年輕人要么太懶,要么工作干勁不足,而實際上,他們只是需要一些靈活性罷了。很多“85后”都表示,工作的靈活性不足是導(dǎo)致他們離職的主要原因之一。隨著“千禧一代”這一群體即將進入盛年,企業(yè)也應(yīng)該想方設(shè)法提供更多的靈活性,以保留人才。 快樂的“85后”母親們想方設(shè)法地讓自己不像她們的父母一樣,非得去忍受長時間的工時和死板的工作日程。如果她們的工作不能提供她們所需要的靈活性,她們中的很多人就會轉(zhuǎn)而從事幾份自由職業(yè)工作,來為自己賺一份全職工作的工資。許多全職工作者可能認為這些都不是什么正經(jīng)工作,千禧一代卻覺得這與全職工作沒什么區(qū)別。目前,美國38%的千禧一代人是自由職業(yè)者,這個比例也超過了任何一代人。 千禧一代的年輕媽媽們在規(guī)劃職業(yè)路線時,也會把一家公司的產(chǎn)假政策作為重點考量因素之一。像Facebook、Etsy、Netflix和Spotify等行業(yè)巨頭都高調(diào)宣布了自己調(diào)整后的產(chǎn)假和陪產(chǎn)假政策,讓新媽媽們能有更多時間陪伴自己剛出生的寶貝兒。金寶湯公司(Campbell’s Soup Co.)最近也調(diào)整了它的產(chǎn)假政策,該公司的董事長還表示:“我們非常關(guān)心千禧一代的母親們,而且這對消費者也是很有好處的??紤]到所有這些因素,我認為現(xiàn)下正是時機。” 千禧一代的母親們即將步入職業(yè)生涯的盛年,與此同時,她們也要擁抱家庭生活。由于她們具有出色的技術(shù)能力,靈活的工作態(tài)度,并且有意識地選擇了能夠分擔家庭責任的伴侶,因此,很多千禧一代的母親都能根據(jù)她們的目標和價值觀,規(guī)劃好自己的人生之路。所以,不管一名女性決定在外工作,還是在家?guī)蓿傊?,她們的選擇都能讓她們——以及她們的家庭,過上更加幸福的生活。 (財富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:樸成奎 |
Millennial moms make up 22% of the Mom population in the United States. They are a vital part of a much-maligned generation. Millennials, as a whole, have often been referred to as entitled, lazy and uniformed, among lots of other deleterious adjectives. Heck, there is even an article with a headline that reads “7 Reasons Why Millennials Are the Worst Generation.” An older generation complaining about a younger one is not new, but millennials do not deserve abject criticism. In fact, there appears to be one area in which millennials are achieving success in a way their parents and grandparents weren’t able to: finding a work-life balance. In fact, millennial moms are generally happier than their older counterparts, both in work and in relationships. Let’s take a look at why that is, and what wisdom anyone, no matter their age, can learn from them. Millennial moms choose their own path When their moms, baby boomers and Gen Xers think about work, they think about the feminist movement and shattering glass ceilings. However, millennial moms think it is more important that a parent stay home to care for their children than the generations before them thought. In a recent survey, 60 percent of millennials thought a parent should stay home to care for children, while only 50 percent of Generation X and 55 percent of baby boomers agreed. For previous generations, this decision was part of a political and social movement, but today’s young moms see it as a personal choice. Today’s technology impacts career choices Teleworking. Flex time. Remote desktops. Thanks to the explosion of technology, millennials see no reason their careers must mean traditional 9-to-5 cubicle work. Instead, they embrace working from home, cutting down on office costs and commute times. This means more time with family and more time to be productive as well. In New York City, for example, the average time spent delayed during the commute to and from work is 74 hours a year. That’s not just the commute time: That’s the time unexpectedly delayed during a commute. Why not start work as soon as you are able, instead of as soon as you can get yourself to the office? Smartphones make it easy to respond to email, take a work call and track projects from anywhere. Digital natives who are comfortable relying on technology know that very few jobs actually require sitting at a desk from 9-to-5. Last year,millennials overtook Generation Xers as the largest generation in the workforce, so these preferences will continue influencing workplace traditions and standards. Picking partners who pick up Young moms do not think they are solely responsible for the housekeeping, cooking and child care. The idea of equality is so innate in their worldview – thanks to trailblazing moms and grandmas – that it can be the millennial dad who stays at homewith the kids or who washes dishes every night. The Mothers and Daughters: The Working Mother Generations Report shows that millennials are happier with their decision to be an at-work or stay-at-home parent and how the at-home responsibilities are divvied up. This is because millennials seem to be moving toward a more egalitarian home life, one where both mom and dad can chip in to get the work done. Planning ahead to accommodate life Millennials do not seem to have the same lineal idea of workplace success. This might be why some accuse millennials of being lazy or unmotivated, when in reality they simply desire flexibility. In fact, millennials site a lack of flexibility as one of the main reasons they leave jobs. As this group is reaching their peak work years, employers will look to retain talent by providing this desired flexibility. Happy millennial moms plan to ensure they don’t suffer through the same long hours and unforgiving schedule as their parents. If their office job won’t provide the desired flexibility, many create a full-time job out of several freelance positions. What full-time workers might see as a side hustle, millennials see as a full time gig. In fact, 38 percent of millennials are freelancers, more than any other generation. Millennial mothers also have to look at a company’s maternity leave policy during their planning process. There have been numerous high-profile announcements of family-leave policy changes from industry giants like Facebook, Etsy, Netflix and Spotify. All announced positive changes to their family-leave policies to give young moms more time at home to bond with a newborn. Campbell’s Soup Co. also changed its leave policy recently, and the president said, “We are all about millennial mothers, and this is really good for consumers. Putting those factors together, I just said it’s time.” Millennial moms are hitting their peak work years at the same time as they embrace family life. Given their access to technology, flexible attitudes toward work and intentional choices of a partner who will pitch in, many moms are able to craft a lifestyle according to their goals and values. Whether a woman decides to work outside of the home or as a stay-at-home mom, it is clear: These choices allow these women – and their families — to live happier lives. |
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