It might not surprise you that in Simone de Beauvoir’s day, the amount of hours women spent doing unpaid, ‘invisible work’ far outweighed the paid hours men spent in the workplace.
We’ve had over sixty years to redress this imbalance. But with lockdown confining everyone to their homes, those boundaries between work and domestic life have blurred again: a recent study by UCL & the IFS found that women are still doing far more housework than men! Insane, right?
With International Women’s Day fast approaching, it’s more important than ever that women do everything they can to protect their work-life balance. William Butler Yeats once said it was 'perfection of the life or of the work,' but we disagree.
As a women-run, women-owned business, we Madres have some tips and tricks for balancing your work with your personal life:
- Be realistic: there is no such thing as perfect work-life balance. Don't be disheartened if you get it wrong sometimes: just strive to do better next week.
- Set the boundaries: have a clear schedule and don't overwork (turning off your phone can work wonders). Avoid burnout at all costs!
- Schedule in time to enjoy your hobbies, look after your health, and be with your loved ones.
- Make sure you split the housework/childcare evenly across your household (i.e, if A cooks, B washes up!)
- Come up with your long-term goals and work out how to achieve them on a day-by-day basis. Rome wasn't built in a day!
The Madre knows there’s nothing more important than having the freedom to do your own thing, to have some time to yourself, to retreat into a room of your own.