a break from a traditional career
can offer women the opportunity
to re-evaluate their interests and
values, says Kully. “Ask yourself
what is important to you and what
you would love to achieve over the
next few years. Think about your
interests, skills and strengths and
work with them.”
Amy recently embarked on a
parenting course to gain direction
in her new career as a stay-at-
home parent. She is also doing an
aromatherapy course and intends to
switch her family to aromatherapy oils
for health problems.
Mother of two Gina Agresti took
a break from her marketing career to
become a stay-at-home mother and
later an accompanying spouse. She
wanted to be home with her children
as her husband worked the long hours
typical of Hong Kong, but she lacked
mental stimulation.
“I lost my confidence and was
bored. As a result, I was irritable with
my family at times,” she recalls.
Gina decided to take time out for
herself to pursue her interest in yoga
and sports. Interested in floral design,
she set up a solo business, ‘Purple.
Magnolia IFC: inspiring floral
creations’, and planned to find work in
the industry shortly after her youngest
started school.
“Hong Kong is the easiest place
to set up a business, so if you have an
idea, don’t be afraid to go for it,” says
Kully. “The key is to network either by
joining various chambers, clubs and
networks, starting a course or doing
voluntary work to get you started and
to meet relevant people.”
Networking has now landed Gina
back into the world of marketing.
Working part time as Marketing
Director for Urban Discovery, an
urban planning social enterprise
founded by a mother of young
twins, she comments, “I’m working
with great people (mostly women,
coincidentally) and I'm grateful for the
flexibility it provides. I’m more patient
with my family now and feel more
personally satisfied.”
Making choices
Despite questioning her identity, Amy
considers herself fortunate to have
the choice of not working and staying
close to her children.
“I struggle with my identity at
times but this is a small price to pay
for the joy of being with my children
every day. I wouldn’t want it any other
way!” she says.
But for some parents, a loss
of professional identity when they
become a stay-at-home parent is not
much of an issue. Former English
teacher Siobhan Dawson and her
husband planned to take a career
break to travel around Asia eight
years ago. Instead, her husband was
offered the opportunity to relocate
with his job. The couple chose to move
to Hong Kong, fell in love with the
city and are now happily raising two
children here.
“Being a full-time mother is not
for everyone and women shouldn’t
feel pressured to give up their careers.
Equally, it sometimes feels like others
think that being a full-time parent is
a sacrifice and that you’ve put your
life on hold until you can return to
work. I love my role as a full-time
mum. It’s the role I wanted the most
in the world. I feel lucky to spend
my day surrounded by little people
who generally have the best view of
the world, raising them to be strong,
independent individuals yet all the
while wishing I could hold on to them
a little bit longer. These are the best
years of my life!”
It seems that how you view your
role depends on the amount of choice
you have about it. Cora Ha sums it
up, saying that, “Ultimately, identity
struggles arise when life circumstances
dictate whether a mother works or
stays at home. When women make an
informed and planned choice to take on
a family-centric role, they are less likely
to struggle with their identity.”
March 2015
45
