One (somewhat ridiculous) belief about women working outside the home is that the moment they become mothers, their job performance is negatively affected or that motherhood is an impediment to continue growing at professional level.
That's why the testimony of a top executive of Amazon is being news, because contrary to that belief, she affirms that motherhood has even helped her improve her labor productivity.
Motherhood is not the same for everyone
Before sharing the testimony, something must be made clear: motherhood is not the same for everyone. Every woman is unique and every motherhood is completely different. What affects one may not cause anything in the lives of others and what benefits some may cause the opposite to others.
I wanted to clarify this point because surely reading this news will jump different opinions about the situation of mothers who work outside the home, the difficulties they face or what happens to many of us: that we choose parenting and end up giving up our jobs.
Fiona's testimony
Her name is Fiona McDonnell and she is the European director of Amazon in the department of beers, wines and spirits. He has two children, aged seven and five, and states that becoming a mother has helped you focus your time and energy better, in a more effective and efficient way, and that thanks to that he managed to have more success in his career.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Fiona, who had previously worked for companies with demanding jobs such as Nike and Kellogs, says that of course at the beginning and as a first-time mother, it was difficult to return to the world of work, however, it eventually helped to make everything easier.
"Logistically speaking, the first months were brutally organized to work and feed my son, but I cared a lot to do this for him. I had no family nearby, but my husband and I made a real team and found a way. What at first sounded like something impossible, became a routine and I soon found a way to let go of things that were not so important, I made decisions and became more productive"says Fiona.
Due to the lack of sleep that comes with the first months of motherhood, Fiona was responsible for making sure what things they gave her and took away her energy. "I realized that you have a lot of energy to try to be someone you are not, and I was struggling to be a true leader, so being a mother helped me to let go. Having children helped me to leave that rigid perception of how I should be a 'woman successful at work' and to be more 'me'".
Fiona acknowledges that Amazon's work policies are flexible for those who have children and that they usually advance or continue with pending work when they commute from home or back at the end of the workday. Avoiding taking home work to spend quality time with your children helps you manage your time better and be more productive when you are in your office.
So can mothers have it all?
Fiona believes that this depends on everyone, because as I said at the beginning, every woman lives motherhood differently. But for mothers who work outside the home and find themselves trying to find a balance between being a mother and working, she advises the following:
"Know your own values and make your own decisions to support your priorities, don't be less ambitious, but do it with your own terms. It only matters that YOU feel that you have everything, and at the end of the day only you will know if it is".
Actually, "Having it all" or not will depend on the perception of each one. For some it may be to continue with a successful career in the workplace, while for others it will be to stay at home and raise their children.
