It's been some time since I last blogged about Alpha Moms, but it seems the definition of the term, which initially rubbed me the wrong way, has been tweaked to be a little less "cool mom with the Wii" and a little more "working momma with her shit together."
This week's US News and World Report cover story "The New Mommy Track" details how working mothers are pursuing the careers they want without sacrificing family life, and this related article "The Age of the Alpha Mom" shows that advertising creative is starting to reflect this new approach to balancing motherhood and a fulfilling job. Instead of feeding us images of the stressed-out minivan mom of the 1990s and early 2000s, we're seeing a new vision of motherhood: one in which the woman is in control, ably balancing work and home life with the help of her supportive husband and flexible employer.
While I'm thrilled we're stepping away from the frazzled mommy stereotype in the media, I hope to see more evidence that companies really are pursuing talented women with the lure of flextime, telecommuting and job sharing. Selfmademom has done a great job of blogging about the difficulty of on-ramping for SAHMs and the rarity of part-time positions like the one she currently holds.
What do you think, is Alpha Mom a pejorative term or should we take it as a compliment?
Cross-posted to Chicago Moms Blog
