Changing The Way Women Work
“When I began my legal career more than 17 years ago, I took everything as it was then, to simply be the way it was meant to be. By this I mean conforming to the expectation of (unreasonably) long hours; work as the main priority above anything (and everything) else; Sunday afternoons spent in the office; and a social life that was almost non-existent.
If you did all of this, if you were incredibly stressed most of the time, and if you were ‘busy’ around the clock, you were deemed to be ‘successful’. And, so, I did all of that.
I was consumed by it all, and I therefore considered myself to be on the path to success.
Fast forward almost two decades and things are very different. Women (and to some extent, men) are rejecting the stereotypical roles and working conditions that were once ‘accepted’ across the board. The discussion around flexible working arrangements has become common and working remotely has been introduced.
Women are changing the way they work, and I am proud to say I am one of them.
An analysis of the workforce and how it has evolved over the years is, to me, both fascinating and inspiring. Women are stepping away from the traditional working roles of eight-hour days in the office, six-or-more days a week; taking work home and putting off starting families. They are creating flexible, virtual and remote working environments that better suit their needs as a ‘whole person’ – no longer accepting themselves as being categorised as either a business owner, or an employee, or a parent, or a wife (and so on).
Women can be all of these things – we don’t have to select just one.
I chose to take a leap of faith and leave the gruelling culture and unsustainable expectations of the traditional law firm model six-years ago – and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I have never looked back. The flexibility I was offered in my immediate next role (lecturing at ANU) introduced me to a lifestyle that allowed me to pursue my professional career, and balance parenthood and marriage, in a way that would not have been either welcomed or nurtured in private legal practice.
It was not until I moved away from it that I realised how entirely unacceptable the traditional law firm model was – that was the point in time that I actively chose to reject the model, without being defeated by it.
The launch of my virtual law practice was my way of contributing to what so many women (and men) around the world have been doing for some years now – choosing to pursue their passion without compromising themselves as ‘whole’ individuals; prioritising themselves, and valuing themselves, knowing that they are worth more than the way some working cultures have treated them; forging a way forward that best suits them, and supporting each other along the way.
In a world where the meaning of success has become so fundamentally skewed, it is so rewarding to be taking steps to redefine what this means for women in workplace culture.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to shine a light on the women changing workplace and business culture to recognise new ways of operating. Showing that women are capable of great things and that equal opportunity means identifying ways that the employment and business landscapes can support women, instead of being barriers for them.
As we spread the message of #EachforEqual let’s look at where we can continue to break down barriers and introduce new models that truly give us all equal opportunities. In an equal world, we all benefit.“
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Our resource Building Your Small Business | The Beginners Handbook might also be helpful.