Can Career & Parenthood Go Together?

In the past few months, I’ve had conversations with so many brilliant women about their careers. Every single one of them felt stuck. Unhappy. Underpaid. Underutilized. But when I asked, “So what’s next?”, the answer was almost always the same:
“Now’s not the right time to make a change.”Why? Family planning.

Some were trying to conceive.
Some wanted more kids.
Others felt their kids were too young.

And so, their careers were on hold. (And let’s be honest, some other things too…)

Two Words: Family Planning

This isn’t tied to industry or experience level. These women were in Marketing, Sales, Engineering, HR, and Leadership—ranging from Juniors to VPs. And yet, they all felt the same burden. But here’s the hard truth: Family isn’t a short-term project. It can take a decade for things to stabilize. So should women just push their ambitions aside for a whole decade? Would men do that?

I get it. Women are wired for stability. Dr. Louann Brizendine (“The Female Brain”) have studied how, historically, women were responsible for keeping the “nest” safe—maintaining social harmony, avoiding confrontation, putting others first. And today those same instincts are still holding many of us back.

So how do we change that? Empower. For real.

What Can You Do (This part is not just for women)

💡 Confidence Must Be Encouraged

From childhood, men are taught to be brave, take risks, go after what they want. Women? We’re taught to be careful, be nice, and wait our turn.

That mindset carries into the workplace. Men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the criteria. Women? We wait until we feel 100% qualified.

If you’re a manager, teacher, or leader, encourage women to take risks, speak up, and ask for more. Confidence isn’t a personality trait—it’s a skill, and it needs to be trained.

💡 Men Must Take Part in the Conversation

I’ve seen it firsthand: Even in progressive workplaces, most male colleagues don’t split home responsibilities 50:50 with their partners.

And that has a domino effect:

• If household duties aren’t equal, career opportunities won’t be either.
• If men don’t advocate for working moms, the workplace won’t either.
• Paternity leave, flexible policies, and true work-life balance shouldn’t just be “nice-to-haves.” They should be non-negotiable.

💡 Employers Need to Provide Real Equal Opportunities

Women are judged on achievements. Men? On potential.

If companies want more women in leadership, they need to:

• Pay fairly (obvious, yet still an issue).
• Diversify leadership—not just talk about it.
• Support career growth for women at all life stages, not just when it’s “convenient.”

Because here’s the thing: Women aren’t asking for favors. We’re asking for fairness.

The Bottom Line

We’ve come a long way. But we’re not there yet.

If you’re an employer—support your female employees. Build workplaces where women feel safe to grow.

If you’re a man or a partner—support women in your life. Split responsibilities at home and give a safe space for equal opportunities.

If you’re a woman—Think with confidence. Then act with confidence. You got this. 💜

With Confidence,

Yours,

Sivan Michaeli-Roimi