The juggle is real - South African working mothers are long on love but short on time.
Ahead of the country's first Working Mothers Expo in Johannesburg this weekend, the organisers have revealed that 67% of 1200 surveyed South African working moms are battling to cope with the demands on their time.
The expo's founder Janice Windt said working mothers across all race groups and income brackets spend half of their day desperately trying to juggle parenting and work.
"Children need their parents to find the energy to be present and spend real quality time with them and the rest of the family when they are together, especially during the first 1000 days, as this is a critical window of time that sets the stage for a person's intellectual development and lifelong health," she said.
Windt said the objective of the Working Mothers Expo is, quite simply, to bring together everything working mothers need under one roof.
"Working mothers need to realise they are not alone, get access to the help and inspiration they desperately need and have a moment that is, quite simply, all about them."
Parenting expert Nikki Bush, who will be speaking at the expo, said many mothers working a full day spend as little as two hours a day with their children during the work week.
"Most of that time is spent getting children dressed, fed, bathed, doing homework and chore-type activities, hardly what we would classify as quality time."
Employers need to be more aware of the pressures on working parents and try and create family friendly companies.
"These include companies that support parents, provide some flexitime where appropriate, understand the issues when there is a sick child, build crèches on site, provide in-house parenting talks during lunch breaks, and the list goes on."
Bush said parents needed to learn how to reframe time and make the time for their children regardless of the limited hours available to them. Exhibitors and speakers will cover topics from professional performance, financial independence, childcare, maternity leave, etc.
Expo to help working parents cope
The juggle is real - South African working mothers are long on love but short on time.
Ahead of the country's first Working Mothers Expo in Johannesburg this weekend, the organisers have revealed that 67% of 1200 surveyed South African working moms are battling to cope with the demands on their time.
The expo's founder Janice Windt said working mothers across all race groups and income brackets spend half of their day desperately trying to juggle parenting and work.
"Children need their parents to find the energy to be present and spend real quality time with them and the rest of the family when they are together, especially during the first 1000 days, as this is a critical window of time that sets the stage for a person's intellectual development and lifelong health," she said.
Windt said the objective of the Working Mothers Expo is, quite simply, to bring together everything working mothers need under one roof.
"Working mothers need to realise they are not alone, get access to the help and inspiration they desperately need and have a moment that is, quite simply, all about them."
Parenting expert Nikki Bush, who will be speaking at the expo, said many mothers working a full day spend as little as two hours a day with their children during the work week.
"Most of that time is spent getting children dressed, fed, bathed, doing homework and chore-type activities, hardly what we would classify as quality time."
Employers need to be more aware of the pressures on working parents and try and create family friendly companies.
"These include companies that support parents, provide some flexitime where appropriate, understand the issues when there is a sick child, build crèches on site, provide in-house parenting talks during lunch breaks, and the list goes on."
Bush said parents needed to learn how to reframe time and make the time for their children regardless of the limited hours available to them. Exhibitors and speakers will cover topics from professional performance, financial independence, childcare, maternity leave, etc.
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