Careers and Motherhood Mix, But Not Without Side Effects

Plenty of consulting and investment banking firms tout their diversity - saying that they have recruitment programs designed to reel in the best female and minority talent. But while women stream in steadily at the lower levels, very few make it to the upper tiers. Is the glass ceiling still in place? Perhaps, but women increasingly mention "unfriendly policies" - rather than discrimination or the male hierarchy - as the real source of their under-representation.

"There are always two or three 'token' female representatives," one woman at a management consultant firm opines. "Enough so that the company can point its finger when employees cite poor diversity in the executive suite." Adds Liz Zale, an MBA student with experience in management consulting: "Some firms are better than others when it comes to playing out issues of diversity. However, no matter what policies exist, you can't work only eight hours a day - the job doesn't allow for that." Indeed, many corporate clients lament that maintaining a role as both a working woman and a devoted mother is nearly impossible (see "A Wild Ride on the Swivel Chair" in the News Bites section of this newsletter).

Other fields fare no better than the stereotypical anti-family culprits, I-banking and consulting. On Vault.com's Law message board, female attorneys hash out the issue of motherhood in a thread called Being a good mom and a good lawyer

Asks one busy attorney named "In a Quandary":

I'm interested in which specialties are family friendly. What types of specialties would give me more control (comparatively speaking) over my work? I want a work environment where crises and last minute deadlines are the exception rather than the norm.

The responses to this question are mixed: some positive, others more caustic. Advises "Not a Mom But Sympathetic":

Frankly I cannot see how lawyers who work till 9 to 11 p.m. everyday can be good moms. They simply don't see their kids. Anyone have a solution? Women partners often don't have kids or have them very late. I know women considering part-time work but there goes the partnership track.

Admittedly, the mother/lawyer conundrum is difficult to solve, but it is not impossible. Many mothers point to part-time arrangements as a feasible way to parent and to succeed in their careers. With more women than ever in the workforce, industries are taking notice of the part-time trend - and accepting it.