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MARCH 26, 2001

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A Love/Hate Relationship
Women hail the New Economy's career opportunities, not its impact on their personal lives


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A new study appears to confirm what many women in the New Economy have long suspected: Sure, high-tech startups have opened doors and career opportunities, but the burden of working long hours in high-stress jobs has played havoc with their personal lives.

That's the picture painted by Women in the New Economy: Insights and Realities, a survey by Boston-based GLS Consulting that polled 265 members of WorldWIT (World Women in Technology) in the fall of 2000. Among the findings: Seventy-three percent of respondents say they enjoy working in the digital economy, but 65% feel their jobs are having a negative impact on their social lives. As women deal with demanding work schedules, the report sees job stress and its impact on life outside the office as "a hidden sleeper that has the power to destroy productivity."

DRAWING THE LINE.  Liz Ryan, founder of WorldWIT and vice-president of Ucentric Systems, a Boston-based home-networking company, wistfully recalls the era before work became so all-consuming. "We survived, and had a profitable economy when we didn't answer our cell phones at 10 p.m. for work," says Ryan, who has four young children and commutes between Chicago and Boston. "Now," she adds, "employees need to create boundaries."

The report's authors believe there are some easy remedies, ones that won't wreak havoc with corporate cultures. "This doesn't have to be earth shaking stuff," says Ryan, who urges employers to quiz workers about possible measures to beat the burn-out blues and help them balance careers and personal lives.

In the meantime, the survey bolsters the case for something co-author Mindy Gewirtz, a principal at GLS Consulting, advocates for both men and women: more flexible work schedules. As Gewirtz puts it, "We created this mess, so we can socially create something different."


By Mica Schneider in New York

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