The 4 Jobs Club; How Smart Women Care for It All: Kids, Aging Parents, Home and Career

Many working women often juggle four big jobs: career, parenthood, household management, and caring for aging parents. Sollmann (Ambition Redefined: Why the Corner Office Doesn’t Work for Every Woman & What To Do Instead) urges women to work from college to retirement; she argues that childcare expenses are somewhat short-lived and will pay off with higher salaries as one’s career progresses. Drawing on her own experience as an executive and on interviews with women in C-suite roles, her book describes the challenges working women face and offers practical advice for managing stress and achieving career advancement. For example, Sollmann advises readers to choose a supportive spouse, to teach their children to be independent, to use the same organizational and delegation skills developed in their careers to manage other aspects of their lives, and to outsource as many tasks as one can afford. Paying for quality childcare, housekeeping, eldercare, and concierge services, she argues, will enable working women to focus on the tasks most important to them while also carving out time for self-care. Note that not all of the suggestions will be useful for lower-income readers..