Recap WITI Boston - October 22, 2013

"Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of the Modern Woman"
WITI Boston - October 22, 2013
By Emily Ubik, Boston University "WITI" Student

Liz O'Donnell, public relations executive and founder of the prominent blog, Hello Ladies, joined WITI Boston members and non-members alike last Thursday to preview her new book. The evening, sponsored and hosted by VMWare in Cambridge, began with networking and excellent hors d'oeuvres. Titled Mogul, Mom & Maid: The Balancing Act of the Modern Woman, her book discusses the choices and ideals of women when it comes to juggling home and work life.

Liz began by boldly announcing that this was not the book she had wanted to write. Rather, she let her research results guide her. The outcome of this research had everything to do with real-working women, those who might be content with a stable position somewhere in the middle instead of being a superstar at the top, women who are more likely to be your friend, cousin, or neighbor. For her research, Liz focused mainly on married mothers. She interviewed around a hundred women in what she called 'living room conversations', which often lasted late into the night. Some interesting statistics presented were that women with full-time jobs perform on average 30% more housework and 60% more childcare than their husbands. Overall, Liz said the general consensus of women was to find a more manageable style of life.

Engaging, insightful, and humorous, Liz held the interest of the room as she shared stories and advice. One anecdote of her own was when she was working for a previous employer, Liz was in the buyer's position trying to make a deal. The seller asked her if she wanted to wait for her "husband", who was in fact her boss, first! Liz listed this as one of the reasons she became a feminist. She continued by questioning why most women pretend they can handle it all - posting perfect pictures on Facebook (or Fakebook, as Liz liked to call it) - when that same day they might have taken a few minutes to cry in the closet?! She encouraged everyone to give themselves credit for "the invisible tasks," which could include buying the kids clothes, planning birthday parties, writing thank you notes, etc., little things that add up quickly. When it becomes too much, what should we do? Talk about it! Liz emphasized how important it is to be honest and share these things with one another.

Liz left the audience with three tips. The first suggestion was to learn how to negotiate, a skill, she said, that cannot be honed enough. In particular, she recommended a course that "shenegotiates.com" offers. Second was to keep your foot on the gas. Yes, it's hard to do it all, but try to stay in the game as much as you can. Don't forget: the peak of your career can happen later in life. The third piece of advice she offered was to put down the mop! Make sure you are not being a maternal gatekeeper and are actively sharing the household chores and childcare.

Liz concluded by saying that her book is a cautionary tale. Without the complete inclusion of women into the culture of the workplace, companies will lose a great talent base. Liz set a final challenge to the attendees: phone a friend to tell her how fabulous she is, or have her tell you how fabulous you are if you need to hear it. One phone call, just to start that honest conversation! The night came to a close with a WITI raffle. Two ladies each won a signed copy of Liz O'Donnell's book to take home!

About our Speaker
Liz O'Donnell is the founder of Hello Ladies, named one of the top 100 websites for women by Forbes and a Voice of the Year by BlogHer. O'Donnell is the author of the new book "Mogul, Mom & Maid: the Balancing Act of the Modern Woman." http://helloladies.com/about/

About The Author
Emily Ubik is a junior at Boston University pursuing a double major in electrical engineering and archaeology. She comes to Boston from the Midwest and was interested in getting to know women in business and making connections. She came across Women in Technology through her father, when he mentioned that WITI was trying to become more involved with universities. She is now an active member of the local network and is looking forward to writing more about WITI Boston events.

About Women in Technology Boston
The Boston affiliation of Women in Technology International offers multiple events throughout the year in Cambridge, Boston and Waltham. Our focus is to provide ways in which women of all ages, skill sets and backgrounds connect with other women both locally and globally to advance their careers and improve their leadership development skills. All meetings are open for members and non-members alike. To connect with WITI Boston and see what's coming next, visit www.witi.com/boston

Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.