to wonder why I can't keep my career on track when part time?

[Igglystuffedfullofturkey]

I've gone part time on return from maternity leave. Before I had DS I was a "high flyer", got promoted quickly etc.

Since I've come back, I still feel the desire to do well but recognise that now I'm a mum, I can't put in the hours. But it doesn't mean that I can't do a good job in the time I am there, right?

I'm fed up of the culture of long hours and that it seems that you have to be seen to be there after 5 when in fact if you do the job properly you can have a decent work life balance.

It's a bit of a ramble but AIBU to think that a successful career can be maintained even if I am part time now? Or am I being naive to try and break the mould.

Jobs that can't be done part-time...The only job I can think of that can't be done part-time is Fostering.. But that's not exactly a job is it?

I thought of light-house keeper first, but so long as someone else covers the missing days (job-share) it would work OK. Offshore oil worker perhaps, but even then, if most people work 10 days on followed by 10 days off, why can't some people work say 10 days on followed by 20 days off? It only needs a bit of imagination around the scheduling of helicopter trips.

Given that most jobs include a whole range of responsibilities, it seems amazing that they always add-up to exactly 5 days work per week. (well, mostly they add up to a bit more, but that's another story)

I worked part-time for a large company when DS was little, and found that they were very fair with holidays and money (because we had a history of a strong union), but they would not let me do a proper job, only bits and pieces. It drove me into accepting redundancy because I lost all confidence in my abilities.

at Lighthouse Keeper. Now that's a job I'd like.

Really sorry choccy about your experience. That's what is happening to my friend in the police. Obviously as she's pregnant and in her third trimester she's not allowed on the beat but they've taken her off of shift work (which she's been happily doing for ten years) and put her on 9-5, which she didn't want, and given her admin tasks unrelated to her role. They are refusing to put her back on shifts when the baby is born, even though she's going back full time, and are calling her a 'part-timer' because she's going to have a baby despite the fact that she is full time. I can't believe this sort of thing goes on in the police.

Totally agree about how arbitrary it is that 40 hours = full time for all jobs.

Don't worry takethatlady - you were right to feel annoyed, no need to blame hormones.

Re your police friend, I agree it is shocking that such things still go on.

I think some good points have been made about how we define full-time vs part-time, the arbitrariness of the five day week, etc.

The only true full-time is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thus, to a greater or lesser degree, all jobs are part-time and we need to think about the whole situation in a different way and get rid of the "part-time=women's job=not important" associations.