They’re at the top of their games when it comes to their careers and have somehow managed to juggle work with successful personal lives.
And following new reports that indicate having children can set women’s careers back six years, Lisa Wilkinson, 57, and Sylvia Jeffreys, 37, provided a few words of wisdom to ladies who want it all.
Speaking on the Today show on Tuesday, the TV personalities shared their own experiences and gave tips on how to manage the work/life juggling act.
Juggling act! On the Today show on Tuesday, Sylvia Jeffreys (left) and Lisa Wilkinson (right) shared tips for women on how to progress in their careers after having kids
Lisa, who shares three kids with husband Peter FitzSimons, said that after having children one difficult aspect of returning to work was a lack of confidence.
‘You go back into the workplace and you can feel really under confident and it doesn’t help when there’s a gender pay gap, when you still don’t have proper childcare and also have women feel like they are on the back foot when they go back to work,’ she explained.
‘I say to all women there’s never a perfect time to have a baby but be confident in your choice and up-skill whenever you can and try and set a standard in your workplace.’
‘There’s never a perfect time to have a baby but be confident in your choice and up-skill whenever you can’: Lisa (pictured with husband Peter FitzSimons,) shared her advice for going back to work after having kids
Working mum: The successful career woman shares three children with husband Pete: Billi, 19, Louis, 21, and Jake, 23
Sylvia, who wed Peter Stefanovic earlier this year, added that while she was lucky enough to have a job that would support her choices, workplaces should be more accommodating when it comes to families.
‘It should be a case where gone are the days of the eight to five work day,’ the journalist suggested.
‘We need more flexibility, we need more child care, we need more assistance in the home to make sure that you can get the job done to the best of your capacity without taking a step back.’
‘It should be a case where gone are the days of the eight to five work day,’ Meanwhile, Sylvia Jeffreys (left) who wed Peter Stefanovic (right) suggested there should be more flexibility in the workplace
The discussion on the impact of family choices on a woman’s career came after an Easy Offices survey found that having a baby can hinder progression in the workplace.
The survey found that four in 10 respondents thought having a baby led to them being discriminated against in the workplace.
It also suggested that 42 percent of working mothers felt they would be in a more senior position at work if they hadn’t decided to start a family.
Job obstacles: Sylvia and Lisa’s discussion was prompted by a new report that suggested women’s careers are set back six years when they have kids