Wow! I just finished reading your article "Where Are the Women?" as I worked out in my "mini home gym" before sitting down to work in my home office as a sole proprietor of my own business. Okay, I'll never be in the same league as Maria, Mary Lou, and Brenda. But I found myself nodding — again and again — as I read their comments about the tradeoff that women do not want to make when it comes to quality of life and careers. Yes, I am ambitious. (My gross is in the low six figures as a writer for hire and a ghost writer). But I also want balance in my life. In fact, I'm looking to balance it even better (having a home office means you are always working).
Will the Alpha Males continue to dominate the corporate suites? Probably. But will women still find a way to use their time, talent, creativity and drive in business? Yes! We just need to be more creative in how we manage this balancing act. In time, who knows, maybe "our" way of working will prove to be more effective, productive, and satisfying. If nothing else, we will lead more balanced, productive lives — and raise a generation of kids who are not pre-programmed to think that sacrificing one's life is the way to succeed.
Tricia Crisafulli
Our Readers Respond
- Feedback: Where Are the Women?
- The Tradeoff That Women Do Not Want to Make
- "Love" Is Spelled T-I-M-E
- Finding Myself, When I Never Knew I Was Lost
- Flexibility, the Prerequisite for Success
- Hard at Work, or Hardly Working?
- Men Behaving Inefficiently
- The Right People in the Right Jobs
- Labeled as Lazy
- Freedom of Choice
- Skewed Definitions of Success
- Anatomically Incorrect
Additional Feedback
- Where Are the Women?: Sound Off
- Take the Fast Company poll
A version of this article appeared in the February 2004 issue of Fast Company magazine.
