You Can't Have It All – But That's Okay

all, I can have what I want. In the past year, I’ve left a high profile corporate job and settled into a less glamorous consulting career. I’m no longer meeting colleagues for sushi lunches or flying to Europe, but I’ve traded it in for something better: a basement office, a flexible schedule, great clients who value my expertise, and ample amounts of time with my husband and kids. In fact, statistics show the older both women and men get, the less they aspire to the high level positions they once wanted. According to PewResearch, 61% of women and 70% of men between the ages of 18 – 32 aspire to top management roles. However, by the age of 33 – 48, only 41% of women and 58% of men aspire to those same high level positions. My theory is this—with age, our values and priorities crystalize, and we begin trading what we should want for what we really want in our lives. The future looks bright for the next generation as the gap continues to close on gender earnings, and educational attainment is at an all-time high. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to empower young women and men to know they can have what they want, without the pressure of dictating what that should be.        ]]>