Essay Example on High-Profile Career, Family Sacrifice: The Story of Anne Marie Slaughter

The story of Anne Marie Slaughter depicts the struggle that successful carrier women go through in raising their family and maintaining life in professional realm. To make it all in a high profile diplomatic job in Washington DC implies that you have to sacrifice your own family time for the carrier that will ensure that you make an impact in the matters of the nation. Mrs. Slaughter on her case, she was employed in the department of the state implying that she forms a critical diplomatic member in matters of the state and foreign policy that engages her more than 18 hours per day in official's duties. The job hardly allows her time to raise her kids and have time for her husband at home albeit his unwavering support for her carrier and his intention to take care of the children at home while she is off on government engagements. Mrs. Slaughter though in a high profile carrier and a 'have it all lady' realizes the struggle that her preteenager children are going through such as failing to perform in class, lack of maternal care and the desire to be with an available parent for a healthy upbringing. The author is in dire situation where the author experiences the stomp in her paradise and makes up her mind to quit a high profile foreign diplomatic job to raise her family that needs her more than the state. She envisions that raising healthy children will imply that she has to spend more time with her sons and husband while taking a less demanding job that will give her the freedom and maybe go back to the high profile diplomatic jobs when her children become autonomous (Slaughter 2). This essay will therefore identify and explain the rhetoric of a woman can't have it all, laying more emphasis on the motifs and reality of modern day women trying to balance between family and profession.

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There is a conflict of interest between profession and family, which happens to be the two most intrinsic matters in the life of a woman. The author explains that the women may not have a proper healthy family in which she plays a part in raising a morally upright child and having a high profile diplomatic job that will give her professional success. She explains that there must be a conflict of interest and at the end of the day a woman or any parent has to choose between raising the family and chasing her professional dreams. From her personal experience as a high profile diplomats serving in foreign policy department and rubbing shoulders with foreign dignitaries, head of states and high profile government official makes her a powerful 'have it all' woman. However her lack of control in sons' life and family is an absolute contrast of her purported power. She states that albeit her position in the government, she lacks control over her sons' life and their growth is deteriorating hence demanding her presence as the mother to take control at home (Slaughter 4). In her defense for quitting the state job for a low profile but the flexible job is the desire to regain control of her young and demanding family, hence striking the balance of serving the state and raising her own family.

The status quo in the professional realm for a woman is a negative factor in the stability of the family structure. Mrs. Slaughter, though having a successful carrier realizes the dire need of her young family rather than the demand of the state and growth of her diplomatic carrier. She goes against the status quo and the mantra of 'have it all woman' which she finds as a misconception since she cannot have a successful high profile diplomatic job and find time for her children. In one of her lectures to the aspiring diplomats, Mrs. Slaughter explains the reality of the matters to her audience focusing her discussion in the balance between family and the diplomatic carrier. She explains the fact that carriers and profession job plays an essential role in the life of young women though if they intend to start a healthy family life, they should give it the same commitment to her parenting roles. She realizes the importance of being there for her family at the same time as building her profession (Slaughter 5). To realize this, she steps down from her diplomatic job as heads back home to serve her family while taking up a less involving job that will permit her flexibility and regain control of her family.

Being successful professionally implies climbing up the ladder and making a name for yourself in the corporate cycle, as the author's case in the diplomatic cycle however holistic success implies succeeding professionally and raising a healthy family. In one of her speeches to aspiring diplomats, the author goes against the routine 'you can have it all shenanigans' and explains to the diplomat that there is need to strike a balance between raining the family and succeeding professionally. She implies that profession but not all profession except the time consuming and high profile profession will derail one family time and commitment suffocating her marriage and raising upright children. However, she emphasizes the importance of a working woman as opposed to the 'stay home mums' since a woman needs to grow professionally and make an impact in society. After leaving a state job and taking a low profile job, Mrs. Slaughter devout her time in writing books and mentoring young professions hence achieving her most important call and handling her situation. The author considers it selfish motif to achieve carrier at the expense of her family maintenance and upbringing which is equally important (Slaughter 7).

Though Ann Marie Slaughter though faces the conflict of interest between her family and carrier, even though she is not outrightly right on the conflict between carrier and family but in her satiation, she finds out that her family is in jeopardy if she maintains the status quo. One of her colleagues comments that she maintained a high profile carrier and her family turned out fine but her situation she had loosed control over her own family. The implication of her decision implies that she will no longer achieve the great successes she was destined to, but she will raise an upright family. The author, though had the full support of the husband, she decides to quit the diplomatic job and devote her time to raise the family however the implication of her decision deprived the state of a highly trained diplomat whose efforts would have left a global impact. Though the decisions made by the author are personal and are in the interest of her family, she deprived the state of the young and productive mind that would impact the foreign policy however in her protest she devoted her efforts in serving the society by being the author and pursuing the role of being the mother to her family (Slaughter 5).

Work cited

Slaughter, Anne-Marie. "Why Women Still Can'T Have It All". The Atlantic, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020/. Accessed 18 Apr 2019.