Published on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006
HAVE YOU heard the latest? A sea change is sweeping the face of the corporate world. Look around you; and you'll see a paradigm shift is slowly creeping in unannounced.
Ambitious and successful women who blazed trails in large and prestigious organisations, earning six-figure salaries are hanging up their prized job boots and abandoning the sanctity of the corporate nest. Contrary to popular (read, male) perception, it is not a case of mid-life crisis or delayed motherly blues. Neither is the relinquishment driven by unsuitable work schedules, the ubiquitous glass ceiling or non-family friendly work policies. They are not even going back to tend home or hearth.
What really matters
The `opt-out revolution' is not a retreat but a brave attempt to redefine her trajectory as a `been-there, done-that' disillusionment dogs her footsteps. As more and more women prove themselves successful in their jobs, the financial rewards are not enough anymore. The hothouse atmosphere defined by 9 to 5, memos, unending meetings and deadlines are now constraints. She is also fed up of shouldering a fancy title like the VP, CFO. Claustrophobia is seeping in and female corporate denizens wish for a breath of fresh air. As one woman succinctly puts it, `At 44, I had worked my way up to vice president. I climbed the corporate ladder only to find when I reached the top that it was as far as I was going. Also, the company set goals for me that were their needs, not mine. I wonder if I can get what I really want in other people's organisations.'
In addition, the urge to do something worthwhile, follow your heart's desire and control your destiny gains prominence. They want more out of life and are willing to give up hard-earned fame and success too. As former U.S. Labour Secretary Lynn Martin put it, "Women are more aware of what's on the gravestone, which is not I worked for IBM".
The path ahead
Fed up with life zooming out of control, women are defying the traditional employment norms and migrating to challenging fields that fulfill their desires. Not afraid to change or take risks to redefine ideas of success, she is prepared to go out on a wing and a prayer. Yes, she is willing to get her hands dirty too as she strikes out on her own.
Qualified, intelligent and energetic women want to chart their own course and run the show, so to speak. We can see that they are all set to leave the corporate world behind to don the mantle of entrepreneurs and leap into the self-employment turf. In effect, female entrepreneurship is on the rise like never before as women are not even afraid to row against the wind to build a new business from scratch, often in a totally unrelated field too.
Business, freelance work, counselling or consulting is the progressive battle cry. There is no dearth of variety as an array of creative choices beckons in the form of web designing, mail order, real estate, software training, public relations, advertising, retail stores and so on. Infact, according to a recent survey by the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, women start some 400 new businesses a day in the U.S. alone and one in every 11 U.S. women owns a business too. However, the transition is no cakewalk as most of these women are the breadwinners with a family to support and defying responsibilities and peer-pressure. It does take extreme courage to cop out, but for those who dare take the plunge, there is no looking back, as success resolves the lingering ambivalence and validates their choices. Yes, they can and do build their own empires, often starting on a shoestring too.
Ultimately, such empowerment helps them to reclaim their sense of value and self-worth. And, finding your dream come true makes life worth living too!
So, do not hastily dismiss this as a foolish move. As, career counsellor, Andrea Kay sums up, `If you are still thinking, they just could not cut it, that they lacked "the right stuff", think again. They have just what they need - the courage to redefine their ideas of success.' So, don't you think that men will follow suit too?
Ambitious and successful women who blazed trails in large and prestigious organisations, earning six-figure salaries are hanging up their prized job boots and abandoning the sanctity of the corporate nest. Contrary to popular (read, male) perception, it is not a case of mid-life crisis or delayed motherly blues. Neither is the relinquishment driven by unsuitable work schedules, the ubiquitous glass ceiling or non-family friendly work policies. They are not even going back to tend home or hearth.
What really matters
The `opt-out revolution' is not a retreat but a brave attempt to redefine her trajectory as a `been-there, done-that' disillusionment dogs her footsteps. As more and more women prove themselves successful in their jobs, the financial rewards are not enough anymore. The hothouse atmosphere defined by 9 to 5, memos, unending meetings and deadlines are now constraints. She is also fed up of shouldering a fancy title like the VP, CFO. Claustrophobia is seeping in and female corporate denizens wish for a breath of fresh air. As one woman succinctly puts it, `At 44, I had worked my way up to vice president. I climbed the corporate ladder only to find when I reached the top that it was as far as I was going. Also, the company set goals for me that were their needs, not mine. I wonder if I can get what I really want in other people's organisations.'
In addition, the urge to do something worthwhile, follow your heart's desire and control your destiny gains prominence. They want more out of life and are willing to give up hard-earned fame and success too. As former U.S. Labour Secretary Lynn Martin put it, "Women are more aware of what's on the gravestone, which is not I worked for IBM".
The path ahead
Fed up with life zooming out of control, women are defying the traditional employment norms and migrating to challenging fields that fulfill their desires. Not afraid to change or take risks to redefine ideas of success, she is prepared to go out on a wing and a prayer. Yes, she is willing to get her hands dirty too as she strikes out on her own.
Qualified, intelligent and energetic women want to chart their own course and run the show, so to speak. We can see that they are all set to leave the corporate world behind to don the mantle of entrepreneurs and leap into the self-employment turf. In effect, female entrepreneurship is on the rise like never before as women are not even afraid to row against the wind to build a new business from scratch, often in a totally unrelated field too.
Business, freelance work, counselling or consulting is the progressive battle cry. There is no dearth of variety as an array of creative choices beckons in the form of web designing, mail order, real estate, software training, public relations, advertising, retail stores and so on. Infact, according to a recent survey by the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, women start some 400 new businesses a day in the U.S. alone and one in every 11 U.S. women owns a business too. However, the transition is no cakewalk as most of these women are the breadwinners with a family to support and defying responsibilities and peer-pressure. It does take extreme courage to cop out, but for those who dare take the plunge, there is no looking back, as success resolves the lingering ambivalence and validates their choices. Yes, they can and do build their own empires, often starting on a shoestring too.
Ultimately, such empowerment helps them to reclaim their sense of value and self-worth. And, finding your dream come true makes life worth living too!
So, do not hastily dismiss this as a foolish move. As, career counsellor, Andrea Kay sums up, `If you are still thinking, they just could not cut it, that they lacked "the right stuff", think again. They have just what they need - the courage to redefine their ideas of success.' So, don't you think that men will follow suit too?
PAYAL CHANAINA
No comments:
Post a Comment