德国女高管敦促女性勿因孩子弃事业_BEC初级作文

德国女高管敦促女性勿因孩子弃事业

Stachelhaus’s life and career have always been out of the ordinary in traditional German society. She met her husband, Willie, at the age of 17 at a youth camp. He studied music and she studied law. When they had their first son, her husband agreed to take care of him so he could have the freedom to pursue an artistic career without the pressure of earning a salary. Everyone from his barber to his doctor told Willie that he was making a mistake—he shouldn’t be so reliant on his wife.

Though she admits she felt doubtful at times throughout her three-decade career, Stachelhaus ignored the critics because she knew she wanted to have a high-profile job. She first rose through the ranks at technology company Hewlett Packard’s German operations, then did an 18-month stint at UNICEF, followed by three years at E.ON. Her husband would often bring her son by the office during her long days.

Even with the challenges of juggling both a demanding career and two sons, she said that she would have been unhappier staying at home, and would have regretted not having children even more. Much like the viewpoint espoused by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, Stachelhaus wants to see more mothers in Germany continue to work after they have kids and not giving up when things get hard.

“I counsel many women who decide against kids that they are making a mistake,” she said. “They should have the courage to do both.” The issue, she continues, “is that many women cut back their work hours or quit if their kids start to have problems. Every kid has problems and somehow women always think it’s them.”