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Balancing diplomacy, motherhood and family
By Yoav Cerralbo
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Australia, like many ministries around the world, has been welcoming more and more women to take up jobs as diplomats. But what does that mean for their families?
Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8, The Korea Herald sat down last week with six female diplomats from the Australian Embassy to find out how to manage both a career and a family. The overall answer was balance, flexibility and support.
"When young women are growing up and working on their careers the last thing on their minds is a family," said Mary-Jane Liddicoat, education counselor for the embassy. "Then you suddenly realize that you would like a family." So how does that work?
The first thing is to have a supportive partner who is able and ready to accept a possible move to another country.
For some like Tanya Sullivan, second secretary in the political section, it meant that her husband needed to take time off from his career.
"It's about being flexible," Sullivan said. "There are more men open to it than 10-12 years ago."
Liddicoat explained that some husbands would take a leave of absence without pay, retire, or resign, while others are lucky enough to have jobs like in journalism or academia that allow them to work in other countries.
The internet has also made it possible for some to work without ever having to leave the comfort of their home.
Others like New Zealand Ambassador Jane Coombs have husbands that are artists. In Coombs' case, her husband, Tim Strong, is an internationally recognized jazz singer.
For Stephanie Aeuckens, third secretary in the economic section, her husband took leave without pay to accompany her to Korea. They do not have children right now and thought that this would be a great adventure to do together.
To keep busy, Aeuckens' husband is studying Korean full time at a local university.
Paula Svarcas, counsellor in the agricultural department, explained that her choice to come to Korea was a family decision and something that was discussed well before handing in an application for an overseas mission. "So we had to figure out if we really wanted to do it."
Dr. Evanor Palac-McMiken, economic counsellor, explained that husbands have to adjust to marrying a diplomat because sooner or later, they will be called to serve in a foreign country.
Sullivan, who recently gave birth to twins, said that it would have been almost impossible without the support of her husband, a sentiment shared by all the women.
"It's important to have a partner that sees our marriage as a team effort and is willing to put the hours and work that needs to be done and it's about balance," Sullivan said.
Over 50 percent of the diplomats in the Australian foreign service are women. The numbers of Australian heads of mission is also impressive with 25-30 percent being women. In Korea, the number of Australian female diplomats at the ministry is close to 50 percent.
For a working mother, being posted abroad means new experiences and adventures that enrich the family's life.
Jennifer Mason, political third secretary, said that when she was posted to Taiwan, the head of the Taipei mission would have her nanny or husband bring her newborn infant to the chancery three times a day to be nursed.
For this to happen, all the women said, governments and organizations need to support working mothers with flexible hours, offering affordable education, healthcare and trustworthy services like kindergartens.
"You can still have a balanced life and bring up-well adjusted kids. You have to realize that you need downtime," said Palac-McMiken.
"On the government side they need to realize that they need women to be productive so they have to offer a flexible environment in terms of access to education, employment, the labor laws and industrial relations," she added.
Both Korea and Australia need women in the workforce, explained Mason.
"It's a source of tax income for the government but they also need them to reproduce. So if the government makes it hard for them to be in the workforce then women will have to choose between a family or a career and if this happens then it would involve a loss on both sides," Mason added.
Putting everything aside, working mothers and wives are superwomen who find a way to balance all the riches in their lives. With the support of their spouses, government and their children there is nothing a society won't accomplish.
(yoav@heraldm.com)
Female diplomats at the Australian Embassy live life to the fullest: (back row, left to right) Political Third Secretary Jennifer Mason, Economic Third Secretary Stephanie Aeuckens, Political and Economic Second Secretary Tanya Sullivan, (seated, left to right) Education Counsellor Mary-Jane Liddicoat, Economic Counsellor Evanor Palac-McMiken and Agriculture Counsellor Paula Svarcas.
[Yoav Cerralbo/The Korea Herald]