Having it all is a complicated idea. It will depend on the company you work for, how much you earn, age of kids, support of a spouse or partner, and other aspects of your personal and work life. In other words, the answer to whether you can really have it all is that “it depends.”
There are some places where it won’t be possible. Much, if not all, of one partner’s salary might go to childcare. There may not be adequate flexibility in working hours and locations to easily drop kids off at school and pick them up at the end of the day, especially if the spouse or partner also lacks the necessary flexibility.
But there are also ways for women who are CRE professionals to also be mothers to young children. Avison Young Principal Lisa Blumer found that her experience has been favorable to also being a mother to a young child.
Her position as a broker is as an independent contractor who has two business partners, also independent contractors,
“Obviously there are a lot of different career options within commercial real estate,” Blumer tells GlobeSt.com. “With maternity leave, the company is just going to guarantee I have a job 12 weeks later.” But her partners “honored my commission split throughout the duration of maternity leave and leave after losing a child.”
“The ability to earn enough to define that period of time is also there,” she says. “Even if I was a broker by myself and didn’t have any partners, it gives me the ability to know what’s coming and put the money aside for maternity leave. I think this industry really favors those who work hard and it’s about points on the board. I never felt that anyone was really all that concerned if I was a woman or not. It was whether I did the job or not.”
The firm has shown support for women from the top. “Our CEO Mark Rose has pushed to see women in high-ranking positions,” Blumer says. “It’s important to him. I feel like I could go to him directly if I had an issue. And he sits in our office half the year. I benefit from a personal relationship with him.”