Continued from Page 1The three categories of women are the Traditional Homemaker, the Transitional Woman, and the Achieving woman. See which one best reflects your views and values. In addition, each of the generations offer their own twist to the general lifestyle.
The Traditional Homemaker: "I Do Have a Career!"
Most Traditional Homemakers plan their lives around marriage and family, and they always wanted to be mothers. For these women, caring for home and family takes priority. Today, when most families need two paychecks to survive, 65 percent of Traditional Homemakers are employed, 35 percent of them full-time. Two-thirds of the women working full-time would rather stay at home. However, most do not see themselves as full-time homemakers for the rest of their lives. Three-fifths of the Traditional Homemakers who are not working currently plan to return to work when their children start school.
For Traditional Homemakers, work outside the home is a nine-to-five job, not a career. Many of these women feel that the desire to have it all is unrealistic. They believe a woman can't be her best as both a mother and a career woman. Their sense of accomplishment comes from taking care of their home and raising a family. Their traditional values and attitudes lead them to believe that the husband's job is more important than the wife's. Because of the consistency between their attitudes and lifestyle, these women seem to be happy. Their good feelings come from knowing that they won't always be at home. Many feel that a new life will begin for them in later years. They feel they have control over their lives, health, and well-being. All, however, believe they need extra time to do everything they want to do, both inside and outside the home.
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Many of the women who stay home or work part-time feel that society as a whole does not take them seriously or see them as being as competent as career women. This is especially true for traditional women who worked -- who were career women, in fact -- but then opted to stay at home to raise their families. They do not want to be looked down on because they are "only housewives." Traditional Homemakers, in their view, do a very worthwhile job by taking care of home and family. They view the transitions from work force to home to work force as career changes.
The Transitional Woman: "I Feel Trapped."
These women have their hearts in neither their work nor their homes. Most Transitional Women are married and many work outside the home. Only 28 percent stay at home full-time. A large percentage are forced to work because of economic pressures. Many are employed in jobs they don't particularly like. This in itself creates a strain, and the strain is intensified by the pressure of having to cope with home and work and the guilt of having to neglect the family.
Women in this group lack a feeling of control. They are traditional in their values and attitudes, but they feel forced into working. As temporary escapes, they tend to be impulsive spenders, watch a lot of television, read magazines for guidance, and change hair and makeup regularly. These stress reducers, when used in excess, only cause more stress in their lives. Over 50 percent of Transitional Women live from paycheck to paycheck.
Because they perceive that they lack control, women in this group tend to lack confidence in their own ability to find solutions to their conflict. Transitional Women need consistent doses of support and information to help them make life choices. These women haven't decided whether to focus on homemaking or their career. They feel extremely ambivalent.
The Achieving Woman: "Of Course I Can."
Those who are Achieving Women are career-centered. They put their hearts and souls into their work. If asked to chair an event, be on a committee, or accept a new assignment or client, these are the women who say, "Of course I can." These women find themselves overcommitted, overwhelmed, and overworked. Their greatest fear is loss of control -- professionally, personally, and at home. They feel that, if their juggling act misses a beat, then everything will come crashing down.
Yet 85 percent feel that their lives work well. Both the Achieving Women and the Traditional Homemakers find consistency between their values, attitudes, and lifestyles. Of all the groups, the Achieving Woman rate themselves the highest on self-confidence. However, the serious time pressures they face cause them frustration, anxiety, and conflict.
Achieving Women do not believe, as the Traditional Homemakers do, that the home is the center of life. Rather, they view their homes as an expression of who they are and as a refuge from their busy schedules.
Over 64 percent of Achieving Women feel they could live comfortably on their own salary. They tend to be extremely self-reliant and independent in a relationship. Because they are fiercely independent and financially secure, they tend to leave a bad marriage sooner than women in the other groups. In spite of the high percentage of failed marriages among Achievers, family is important to them. But their strongest sense of competence and accomplishment comes from their careers.
More than any other group, the Achieving Women would like to start their own businesses, if they had the money.
