Eve on Top

10

Sacrifices, gains, balances and choices

What have I sacrificed? All the other things I might have been doing. (Gill)

Introduction

This chapter looks at the sacrifices that the women made, the gains that resulted and the choices and balances that had to be considered in order to be successful professionally. It is complemented by the next chapter, which focuses on domestic considerations.

Sacrifices

One aspect of ‘getting to the top’ is the sacrifices that women (and men) have to make to achieve their career goals, and also what they gain from having ‘made it’. We asked the women involved in our study what they felt they had lost and gained from pursuing the career path that had led them to where they are now. Olivia was very clear that ...