LONDON/RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Almost half of women in the G20 are confident that having children won’t wreck their career, with women in emerging countries and younger women most optimistic that they can juggle families with work, a survey reveals today.
A poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation found 47 per cent of more than 9,500 women were confident of having a family without hurting their career. Only 23 per cent fear a negative impact and the rest are uncertain.
Brazil tops the table with 74 per cent of women saying they did not think having children would damage their career, followed by South Africa, Turkey, Indonesia and India where about three-fifths are optimistic about having both.
By contrast, it is women in some of the richest G20 countries – Germany, Britain, France and Japan – who are most worried that having children would sideline their careers.
“Having kids was never a problem for my career development. I’ve been able to achieve what I wanted to, and I continue to look for new challenges,” said mother-of-two Raquel Caldeira, 29, a nurse at a Rio de Janeiro hospital.
“My mum is the one who takes care of my kids so I can work. I’m very fortunate to have a mum who is so hands-on.”
The poll found younger women are slightly more upbeat on being able to juggle both with 48 per cent of women aged under 35 confident compared to 45 per cent of women aged 35-64.
Under Brazilian law, women get four to six months maternity leave with a guarantee they can return to their jobs and an option to work part-time until the baby is one.
Carmen Migueles, a gender expert at leading Brazilian business school Fundacao Getulio Vargas, says close families and the availability of affordable domestic labour are key factors behind women’s optimism.
“Families in Brazil tend to remain in the same city or even the same neighbourhood, so when children get married, they continue to have the strong support of parents and other relatives,” said Migueles.
