Can We Really "Have It All?"

In our current post-modern, (kind of) pro-female society, it is quite acceptable for a female to pursue the whole package: marriage, family, a successful career and an active social life. With that also comes the expectation that we should maintain a fit, healthy body, youthful skin, and an updated wardrobe. I mean, just because we get 4 hours of sleep a night and have to work 10 times as hard to get that promotion, doesn’t mean we should get lazy and skip the gym, right? No ladies, get your ass into that Zumba class, I don’t care if your eyelids are drooping with fatigue and your legs feels like they are going to collapse under you. You need that tight butt and killer abs because how else are you going to land a husband? I would also recommend spending hundreds of your hard earned money on facial products and cosmetics that make you look young and feminine at all times. Are we all clear?



What I REALLY would like to know is this: Does the world (i.e. men, employers, marketing executives) realize how hard it is to truly “have it all?” In my opinion it’s not just hard, it’s impossible.


As a way to gain research experience I worked as an assistant to doctoral candidates on a study about “Work Life Balance” for women. This study not only helped me comprehend how many successful women exist in this world but also how absolutely difficult it is to balance all the endeavors women strive towards. It also made me realize how much pressure women face to manage everything that is expected of us! We are encouraged and expected to go to college and get a job; but we should also get married, have babies and still look good after it’s all said and done. I’m sorry, but just thinking about this makes me anxious. No wonder women have a higher rate of anxiety and depression in this country.

I recently watched the movie “The Iron Lady” with Meryl Streep (GO SEE IT!) about Margaret Thatcher’s career and life. Not only was it an incredibly well crafted film, but it also provoked my thoughts regarding women all over the world who want to be “game changers” and hold positions of power. Margaret was an amazing woman who accomplished such a great deal. It’s almost more inspiration than I can handle. However, the film also shows how her family suffered as a result of her high career aspirations. Her children were frustrated with her single mindedness and her husband was basically her support system. She wasn’t fully 100% a mother, prime minister and wife. So is that how it always has to be? If a woman wants to be president and she has young children would her husband have to fill some of the lacking caretaker role in her absence? Can a woman be 100% of everything in life or is that just too much?


I get it – no one’s perfect and nothing can ever be done without blemish. I guess my point of this blog post is to find out what other women feel and think about pursuing a career and wanting a family while also maintaining the “trivial” things like appearance and social life. All of these aspects are important, but how on earth are we supposed to balance them all without causing ourselves extreme anxiety? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Can We Really "Have It All?"