Being a working mom can feel isolating at times. In between work and taking care of your family, you might not have time to hang out with old friends and get your worries off of your chest. Though it might seem like it’s you against the world, there are actually working moms around the globe who know the struggles you face every day.
Learning about working moms in other cultures is a great way to gain perspective on your own issues and pick up new coping strategies that you may not have known about.
Working moms in Mexico
In a column for The Huffington Post, Carmen Castro, a marketer and mother who lives in Mexico, explained that things are a bit different south of the border when it comes to women going back to work with a child at home. Castro wrote about the resistance she’s faced from friends and even family when she announced her decision to go back to work.
Castro explained that working moms aren’t as common in Mexico as they are in the U.S. However, Castro said that she tries her best to ignore anyone who doesn’t understand her desire to both lead a career and a family, which leaves her more time and energy for her kids.
Flexible staffing in Japan
Japan might be the most technologically advanced country in the world, but that doesn’t mean they’re socially progressive when it comes to working moms. In fact, it might be just the opposite.
Yukiko Imazu, the first female partner at Anderson, Mori & Tomotsune, one of the country’s largest law firms, told the Japan Times that when she first started working after having her daughter, it was incredibly difficult to find time off. When she asked for leeway to pick her daughter up from daycare, she received no response from management. Still, Imazu persevered to become one of the top female lawyers in Japan thanks to the support of her family.
Do you know of any additional stories of working mothers around the world? Share them in the comments!