The Woman Between Career and Motherhood

Abstract

The women’s movement to reposition themselves and claim equal standing with men in society has become tangible due to the abandonment of old habits and perspectives by both sexes - such as the belief that “women should take care of the household and children, while men should provide for the family.” However, this movement has faced a significant rise in stereotypes, prejudices, and challenges, with many women reporting high levels of perceived discrimination. To ensure the proper functioning of both spheres - family and career - the concept of balance has been brought into discussion. By avoiding the disadvantages of either area, women can achieve the modern sense of personal fulfillment they seek. However, this requires a reorganization of priorities. The relevance of this topic in the public sphere and in the current context is justified by the growing number of gender stereotypes and their increasingly visible effects on women’s lives, as well as by the fact that we are living in a Romania that oscillates between conservative, compliant, and modern attitudes toward gender equality issues. This study aims to analyze the evolution and dynamics of women’s perspectives on themselves as both career professionals and mothers. It also seeks to identify the factors contributing to these differing views and how they are influenced, given that the strategy of overloading women with both domestic and professional roles - and the difficulty of maintaining a balance between these domains - are increasingly recognized and discussed phenomena in public discourse.