Work-life balance is a lie say female business leaders

Work-life balance is a myth and telling young women they can 'have it all' is dangerous, female leaders have said.

The view was shared by women across several industries who said the idea of Superwoman 'is dead'.

Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a Fortune 500 financial services company, said that 'work-life balance is a lie.'

She admitted she allocated only 30 per cent of her time to her children.

'On any given day, I may not feel like I'm the best [mother] when I'm traveling,' she said.

'There's days I don't feel like I'm a great CEO. There's moments I don't feel like I'm a great daughter. But over time, I'm a really good [mother].

'And over time, I believe that I'm in purpose as a leader and I'm doing a great job.'

ITV presenter Charlene White said 'if we focus too much on [work-life balance], we consistently live in a state of guilt.'

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'I don't think about work-life balance. I just do the best I can, every day,' she added.

Kate Grussing, founder of Sapphire Partners, told The Guardian it was 'dangerous' to promote the idea that women can have it all.

'Feeding younger women the lie that they can have it all is dangerous. It's essential women take off those rose-tinted glasses because that myth makes women believe they're deficient,' she said.

Grussing added there was a need for trade-offs, as different life demands require varying levels of attention.

Kate Daly, co-founder of the divorce legal service Amicable, said that 'Superwoman, in the comic-book definition, is dead'.

'The modern-day superwoman juggles millions of balls, with every expectation that she'll drop some.'

Pop star Lily Allen has previously revealed that having children 'totally ruined' her career.

'My children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, totally ruined it,' the Smile singer told the Radio Times podcast in March.

'It really annoys me when people say you can have it all because, quite frankly, you can't,' the 39-year-old added.

Data from the Fawcett Society showed around 250,000 mothers in Britain have left work, largely due to childcare challenges.

For those women who continue to work after having children, the financial consequences can be severe.

PwC reports that mothers face a 60 per cent reduction in earnings compared to fathers over the ten years following their first child.

And over 40 per cent of mothers surveyed by the Fawcett Society declined promotions, fearing the impact on their childcare responsibilities.