That sound you hear is the shattering of the glass ceiling once again, and not because former Google exec Marissa Mayer has taken over as CEO of internet giant Yahoo, but because she is taking on that role while pregnant with her first child.
While the debate will continue over whether she'll be able to turn the struggling company around, there are many who will also wonder how Mayer will be able to juggle the incredible demands of a challenging new position and a newborn.
The fact is, not many women at her level are faced with this dilemma, and either one on its own is tough enough.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, herself the mother of two young children, had been outspoken about carving out time with her kids. She admitted recently she leaves work at 5:30 to have dinner with them. But we all know she's not putting her feet up and watching TV after they go to bed. She's often checking email because being "at work" is no longer necessary for "doing work."
Mayer is well known for encouraging girls to study computer science, and for advising women not to step back from career opportunities when starting a family. But no one, including Mayer, knows how she'll feel once her baby is born.
In confirming her pregnancy to Fortune, Mayer said she will be taking a few weeks off for maternity and getting right back to work.
"My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I'll work throughout it," she said.
Mayer also added that the Yahoo directors did not have an issue with hiring a pregnant chief executive: "They showed their evolved thinking."
The board did make an adjustment to accommodate her pregnancy: they moved the September board meeting from New York to Mayer's California hometown. Mayer will also have access to a flexible schedule if need be – a perk most professional women don't have. In fact, those that do, among them Sandberg and HP CEO Meg Whitman, are at the very top. Not to mention the luxury of being able to afford great child care to accommodate their schedules.
But does this "evolved thinking" reflect a trend for society in general? Are more women being allowed flexible schedules in order to balance work life with family life? Will the benefits these trailblazers are enjoying now be passed onto the American work force in general? Technology allows workers to connect from anywhere, one no longer actually needs to be 'in the office' in order to work.
It does appear, in the tech world at least, that's becoming a little closer to reality.
When Sandberg made her now-famous declaration, Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore wrote, "Ultimately, I think the measure of our work is in our productivity, not the number of hours we put in. Alas, few of us are in a position to change perceptions — it's up to both employers and employees to make living a healthy life socially acceptable again."
What are some of the challenges Mayer will face? How do you balance career and parenthood? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and click to take our poll below.
Marissa Mayer's Responsibility to Women
Image courtesy TechCrunch50, Flickr.
BONUS: Who Is Marissa Mayer?
Mayer at a press conference in Tapei in 2009.
Image courtesy of yvojoe, Flickr.
Mayer posted some images on Google+ of an opulent glass ceiling in her penthouse apartment created by Washington state artist Dale Chihuly in 2011.
Mayer was Fast Company's covergirl in 2006. The magazine called her "Google's secret weapon."
Image courtesy of ifindkarma, Flickr.
Mayer celebrates the search engine's birthday.
Image courtesy of Mager, Flickr.
Mayer at LeWEB in 2000.
Image courtesy of Robert Scoble, Flickr.
Martha Stewart Show taping Dec. 20, 2010
Image courtesy David M. Russell/The Martha Stewart Show
Image courtesy of JD Lasica/Socialmedia.biz, Flickr.
Mayer at a press conference in Tapei in 2009.
Mayer posted some images on Google+ of an opulent glass ceiling in her penthouse apartment created by Washington state artist Dale Chihuly in 2011.
Mayer was Fast Company's covergirl in 2006. The magazine called her "Google's secret weapon."
San Francisco magazine dubbed Mayer "Googirl" in 2008. The web version, however, didn't use the term.
Mayer celebrates the search engine's birthday.
Mayer at LeWEB in 2000.
Martha Stewart Show taping Dec. 20, 2010
Image courtesy David M. Russell/The Martha Stewart Show
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