More Working Moms Push to Work For Themselves

As COVID upended domestic life, women's rate of self-employment rose faster than the share of men in the sector.

According to Crain's Chicago Business, the share of women who work for themselves has been trending upwards for the last decade, and experts say the pandemic accelerated the shift for working parents who were disproportionately shouldering child care and home responsibilities. The percentage of women who reported being self-employed rose faster during the pandemic than the rate for men.

“In the absence of a really supportive private sector for work-family balance, I think women are finally realizing that self-employment is that alternative,” says Milli, who founded Research 2 Impact, a consulting firm specializing in economic and social policy issues disproportionately impacting women and people of color.

Read on to learn how more working moms, to find balance amid a pandemic, are pushing to work for themselves.  It's an escape from the regular 9-5 job and allowing women to control their destiny.

Control Your Destiny

There's so much talk about work life balance choices and how it's nearly impossible for women to get ahead (break that glass ceiling) in Corporate America when they take time off to have a family.

I chose entrepreneurship because I wanted freedom, flexibility, a creative outlet without restrictions and total control over my destiny. Part of the control is to select the stress level I am willing to handle (if I must) and balance it with the positives in my life ... family, good health and a positive attitude.

Read what Jack Welch recently told the Society for Human Resource Management at its annual conference about why "There's no such thing as work-life balance." Why Jack is talking about this and not Suzy, I don't know.

Let's turn to you. Are you able to have work-life balance as an entrepreneur? Tell us about how you juggle running a business, managing a family and nurturing your happiness factor.