Working women worry about how impending motherhood will impact their careers

Stacy, like many working women,
put off motherhood until stable
in her career.

Over the past couple of decades,

more and more women are waiting

longer to have children or not

having children at all. According to

a Pew Research Center study, 18

percent of women aged 40-44

have never given birth, up 80

percent since 1976. One possible

explanation given by the study is

that improved job opportunities

have helped create an alternative

for women. Today, we often hear

how careers come first, then family.

Paula Malozowski, 30, and her longtime boyfriend got married in 2010 because they were ready to have a baby, but then life happened. A year and a half later the couple is happily married, have since bought a house and Malozowski went back to school to change career paths. She still desperately wants a baby, but the plans have been put on hold for the time being while she finishes her Master’s Degree Program.

“I can work, go to school and be a mommy, but only two of those three things at a time,” says Malozowski. “I don't want to get pregnant now and then give birth during finals. I can imagine taking an incomplete, never having the time to finish and then flushing my time and effort down the toilet because I couldn't wait two more months.”

In the midst of graduate school Malozowski stumbled upon a full-time job, which was also not in the plan. She knows there are career risks to taking on so much responsibility while trying to get pregnant, but makes it very clear that no job is more important than family.

“I’m good at my job and my performance reviews reflect that,” explains Malozowski. “If my employer gets mad that I’m pregnant, that’s unfortunate for them, but my husband is the primary breadwinner in our house, so I can afford to be a little bit more flip about it because we don't depend on my income to make ends meet.”


Money plays a big role in parenthood
Stacy Zarin Goldberg, 29, a freelance photographer based in Olney, Md. is pregnant with her first child and knew from a young age that babies were in her future, but then the troubled economy put a wrench her plans. Goldberg, who owns her own business, doesn’t have any staff to pick up the slack when she’s on maternity leave.

“I was ready to get pregnant the second I got married, but knew as a couple we weren’t ready financially,” she says. “Because I work on my own, and I’m the breadwinner, we had to have enough money saved up [before getting pregnant].”


Goldberg gave the example of celeb stylist Rachel Zoe. Also the breadwinner in her marriage, Zoe put off having a baby for years because she was scared to slow down and put her business at risk.

“After some convincing from her husband she decided that it was time,” says Goldberg. “They both wanted a baby and she finally gave in. And her business may have suffered a bit, but it was worth it and I know it’s worth the risk for us too.”

Goldberg’s biggest fear is going back to work and not having any clients because they’ve signed contracts with other photographers. Her business is very much based on word of mouth, so when she isn’t working, clients may go elsewhere. Maintaining clients will be a big challenge.




Family support makes all the difference

Goldberg believes her strong support system will help get her through and make the transition a lot easier on her and her family.

“I’m very lucky. My mom is retired and my mother-in-law has great work hours. When I’m ready to go back to work, I know I can have a babysitter within seconds,” explains Goldberg.

Goldberg will also get plenty of support from her husband, a Prince George’s County police officer. He has a lot of paternity leave and the flexibility to be there every step of the way.

“Actually leaving the baby may be a problem, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Interviews using Audioboo

Erin Klema and I sat down in class to discuss her use of audio now and in her journalistic future.

When broken systems cause filters to fail, individuals must step up

I think Clay Shirky made some really good points in his presentation at Web 2.0 about the idea of filter failure versus information overload. One of the things Shirky talked about was how information overload goes back to the ancient times, yet somehow we’re all still surprised by the concept. The bigger issue today is really filter failure. We are always connected whether it’s by email or social media or mobile apps. With so much information coming in, it’s really up to us as individuals to filter what we see. Too often, as Shirky mentioned, our systems fail us, so we have to teach ourselves to do some of the filtering on our own.

When it comes to apps, I think they try to filter and manage information flow, but sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned. The example Shirky gave was his friend who changed her relationship status on Facebook. She tried to change her privacy settings before updating her relationship so the whole world wouldn’t know, but somehow her entire network saw that she broke off her engagement. Part of the problem in the case of Facebook is that filters have to be set up by each individual, but they make it so difficult, we don’t always check the right boxes or save the right items. Facebook clearly has a flaw and filters failed here. Whether this was user error or system error, something was broken.

Education goes mobile

Mobile devices have changed the way our society communicates with one another, completes tasks in the workplace and handles simple day to day responsibilities. But mobile devices have also had a major impact on education and the way we learn. With the use of smart phones and tablets on the rise, we’re really just beginning to understand what this means for students.

According to the Daily Sundial, a recent study conducted by Ball State University found that 99.8 percent of college students own cell phones, with 27 percent of those being smart phones, which is above the national average of 19 percent. I remember when I was in school, we were banned from using mobile devices in class and would go to great lengths to hide them, but now teachers are realizing how useful of a tool smart phones and tablets can be. Some colleges, such as Indiana University and California State University-Northridge, where the Daily Sundial is published, are even beginning to incorporate the technology into lesson plans.

One student quoted in the article worries that the technology will be more of a distraction than anything else. I think once people get used to the idea, they will be more open to it and willing to use the technology. Like anything new, there will be an adjustment period.

In a recent Mashable article, Trevor Bailey, director of worldwide education at Adobe Systems, even goes as far as saying that tablet publishing is going to revolutionize higher education. Bailey shares these 2011 Pearson Foundation survey results:

• 86 percent of college students who own a tablet say the device helps them study more efficiently
• 76 percent of college students report that tablets help them perform better in their classes

I don’t own a tablet, but can only imagine the possibilities. If they were around when I was an undergrad, it would have been a game changer. We barely even knew what social media was at the time; Facebook had only been around for a couple of years and Twitter did not exist, let alone mobile applications.

That same Mashable article talks about how studies have proven that interactive learning can increase retention. I completely agree. Whether you are an auditory or visual learner, it’s always easier when you actually get to work through the material – or “learn by doing.” In large classrooms, how often is this even an option without technology? 

The article makes a really good point saying that “digital publishing can help transform passive learners into active participants.” It’s so true. Typically if you aren’t sitting near the front of lecture halls, you get lost in the crowd, but if everyone has a tablet, that won’t be the case.

We talked at great length in class last week about how mobile technology is the future. Studies like those mentioned above prove that to be true. Universities that don’t stay up to date on the latest in technology will fall behind, and fast. It’s constantly changing and expanding what we can do and I think the digital divide will grow unless schools step up.