Encouraging a More Well-Rounded View of Women in the Workplace

Emily Luijbregts, PMP, is a project manager in Breda, Netherlands.

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Topics: Career Development, Leadership, Organizational Culture

To celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day, we asked some of our contributors to reflect on their experiences being a woman in the project management workforce.

I am a woman, a project manager and a leader. I am me.

As a woman and leader who has risen through the ranks and grown in my profession, I have been exposed to and seen some remarkably short-sighted behavior toward my gender in how we are treated in the workplace, how we are treated when we return to work after having children, and the limitations that we have to contend with for our careers in general.

It is so incredibly frustrating to be pigeon-holed. Yes, I am a woman—but I’m also an incredibly skilled project manager. Yes, I am a mother—but I’m also a highly effective manager of people. What does this mean in relation to my ability to perform my duties? It can sometimes mean that I’m working late or strange hours to ensure that I can see my children after school. Or it can mean that I’m juggling a lot of different issues at once in my quest to perform and excel at my job. Yes, I do experience extreme “mum guilt” on occasion—but I also feel an immense amount of pride in my ability to be a great role model for my children, who see what hard work can achieve.

Since my mid-20s, every interview that I went to for a job …

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