Why Do We Buy Into The Superwoman Myth?

Having It All, All At The Same Time?

I’m the first person to be thrilled that we live in an era that provides so many spectacular opportunities for women. If I had been born in the 1800’s, I really doubt I would have had the chance to get a graduate degree, work on Wall Street, be a social researcher, or be a best-selling author. But as our culture has “grown up”—we haven’t. Too many of us cling to the notion that we are supposed to have it all, do it all and be it all, all at the same time—and then we feel guilty if we don’t meet that imaginary standard. We live through headaches from too little sleep, “Mom guilt’” from not letting each of our children do that third sport this season, tension from snapping at our spouse for “not helping enough” (when he is probably facing his own immense stress and pressure from trying to meet a similarly impossible standard), and worry that we are “letting people down” because we only agreed to chair one committee at church this year.

The reality is that if we try to do it all, all at the same time, nothing will get done well. And learning how to prioritize and make healthy choices is liberating.