In today’s world of striving, creative millennials, women are stronger than ever.
We’re tough and ambitious, we know what we want, and we strive to get it. We no longer live in a society that expects women to just cook, clean, bear children, and stay quiet. Furthermore, we’ve come a long way from society’s traditional female roles. Today, we are career women and bosses, exploring our passions, setting goals, and breaking leadership barriers.
However, I’ve noticed that society often looks down on women who may in fact desire marriage and kids more than career goals, as if they’re not dreaming big enough. It’s almost as if to say, “Why are you limiting yourself? We’ve come so far from the days of just being wives and mothers. You need to have more ambition.”
While I do believe that a woman can have both a family and a career, I also believe it’s a woman’s prerogative if she wants to choose one over the other.
Being a mother is a full-time job – you’re responsible for a life you helped create and worry about your child for the rest of your life. Raising a child is the biggest investment you can make in this world, so if a woman’s biggest dream is to have a family, that’s simply OK. We all walk different paths in life and have different priorities. When it comes to career and family, there isn’t just one road for a woman to take.
In today’s career-driven world, we often forget the importance of having fulfilling family relationships in our lives as we hustle for our dreams. While it’s great to have a strong work ethic, it’s also important to invest time in our relationships. One of the sad things about this world is that many people live short lives and pass away at such young ages and each time I hear of a young person passing away, it makes all the accolades, money and material things of the world appear so small. One thing that always remains powerful though, is the relationships and lives that the individuals impacted. Therefore, dreaming of marriage and children is dreaming of leaving an impact that will last forever.
Money won’t tell you that it loves you, whether you’re alive or not but a strong family bond will last until eternity.
Of course, if a woman wants to focus on her career first and establish a family later she has every right to. If she only wants money and status, though, what’s the use of working so hard to establish yourself in the workplace only to come home to no one to share your success with?
I consider myself a highly ambitious woman.
I just finished my second year at university studying History and International Relations, I’m a freelance writer, and I’ve held multiple journalism internships. However, my career ambitions will never override my dreams of one day getting married and having children. After all, work can never take the place of the love that human connection brings. The current state of the world is helping us realize that connection is just as important as work.
Dreaming of a successful career is wonderful, but who says that dreaming of a successful marriage and beautiful children isn’t dreaming big too? Whether we want a career or family or both, we should all be allowed to live our best lives with our own goals, dreams, and priorities.
Featured Photo by Jessica Rockowitz on Unsplash.
