CEO of Everything

Balancing Career and Family

By Catherine K. Enders Carlton

s. "The best work-family benefit was a steady job (at that time)."

Practices improved at a greater rate with the "boom years" of the mid-90s, according to Wohl, but the current economy's state makes her wonder what's next. "The question now is, what will happen to work life?" she says. "Will it rebound again?"

The change in attitude of career moms has changed from generation to generation. Wohl remembers her mother-in-law questioning her decision to work after getting married in 1960. But 25 years later when Wohl's son married, Wohl's mother questioned that his new wife was not going to work outside the home. The most important change in the last 20 years is that work-family issues have been put on the map, she says.

"Some day, I believe 50 or 100 years out, people will look back on the late 20th century and see the biggest change was that change that brought women into the workforce," she says. "It didn't just change the workforce, it changed everything."

Because more women have been entering the workforce, "Federal policy, state policy and internal policy have forced businesses to address the family issue," says Jodi Grant, director of work and family programs for the National Partnership for Women & Families. Flextime, benefits, telecommuting, job protection and paid leave have made a tremendous difference, she says. "Part of the future is to recognize that this is not an issue confronting moms," says Grant, who has a 2-year-old daughter. "It's an issue confronting society."

Some companies have taken these benefits a bit further in the past five years to include concierge services such as dry cleaning, barber shops and nail salons. "They're looking at not just what it takes to have someone take care of your child all day ... (They) look at the woman as a whole being," Bailey says.

And companies gain from these new work-family benefit programs as well. "(They) are a big benefit for retention, recruitment, increased productivity, loyalty and morale," Grant says. Still, an increase in these benefits doesn't mean a decrease in workload. "I'm a lot more efficient at work," Grant says. "But I've still got a list of things to get done."