4 Things Working Women Should Know
Though women have always had a part in the working world, there are still certain hurdles we face that can make it feel like there’s still a lot of ground to cover in terms of workplace equality. As a modern working woman, in particular, it can be hard to know where to draw your lines and how to handle yourself professionally while also striking a work-life balance. Check out these four things all working women should know and remove some of the burdens on your shoulders.
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Know Your Rights
Knowing your legal rights in the workplace can be of crucial importance. Take a look at your state laws for things like sexual misconduct or harassment, maternity and pregnancy leave, and more. Unfortunately, it’s a matter of fact that there are hurdles unique to women at the workplace. You’ll want to take a job knowing what sort of protection you have against these possible issues.
Set Your Limits
It can be easy to get swept away in a feeling of urgency, especially since people these days are available almost 24/7 thanks to the advent of social media. Women in particular often report feeling pressured to respond to everything immediately and create a crushing sense of urgency for themselves and everything they do. This can be mentally taxing and may even result in you producing work that is not up to your standards. Instead of treating everything like top priority material, decide what deserves your immediate attention and what can wait.
Pay Equality Is Becoming A Reality
If you’re looking for a job that offers an equal pay day for men and women who have the same experience and hold the same type of positions, you’re in luck. These days, more companies are striving to attain pay equality in the workplace. Some have even achieved it already. This means that you won’t have to worry about being paid less than a male coworker for doing the same job, and that you will be fairly compensated for the tasks that you accomplish and the work that you do. Considering what a huge sticking point pay inequality is in many women’s professional lives, this is definitely some good news.
Work-Life Balance Is Attainable
Despite what you may hear from nay-sayers, an achievable work-life balance is entirely within your grasp. You may need to work a little to attain it, though. Work-life balance looks different for every individual. Because of that, it’ll take some trial and error for you to find the combination that works for you. Try examining your balance from a calendar year perspective, which can make planning much easier than it would be on a monthly basis.
Additionally, define what a work-life balance is for yourself before you seek to achieve it. Does it mean that you have enough money to travel and enough time off to actually go on vacations? Does it mean that you have the money to pay for your kid’s college funds, but you also have enough time to watch them grow up? Decide what’s most important to you and work from there.
