| MAIN FEATURE >
Searching for balance
Written by: Jason Hovet
Photo: Vojtěch Vlk, Petr Poliak
A revolution of sorts in the Czech
workforce has made women entrepreneurs, CEOs, and top managers more
common. But what does success mean for them in terms of personal
sacrifice?
MORE THAN TWO MILLION WOMEN are now active in the national economy,
and from this number, about 76,000 are in managerial positions
(as well as in government). According to Lenka Simerská from Gender
Studies, women are definitely becoming more accepted in the management
field. "A lot of economic activities are running because of
foreign investment," Simerská says. "[These foreign companies]
are bringing new roles for women."
Is being the family breadwinner one of these new roles? Simerská
says she is not sure. It is true that there are no statistics looking
at this trend, and even the Czech Statistical Office still lists "wife's
income" as secondary in its household earnings statistics.
Alena Křížková from the Czech Institute of Sociology says that
sometimes women are even reluctant to outdo their husbands. "There
already are women earning more than their partners but very often
don't show it explicitly," she explains, "and often their
partner also doesn't know it."
One thing is for sure, the idea
of a woman as the family's sole provider still has not taken root
in the Czech Republic.
Simerská compares the situation here to her time spent in Sweden,
where she thinks this is more common. "At 11 in the morning,
I would see men out walking with children in the park or the supermarket," she
remembers. "This is still not seen in the Czech Republic."
A closer look
We set out to find situations where the woman was the majority,
or even sole, wage-earner in the family - looking directly at
successful women in high-profile careers. One (un)surprising
fact was the number of divorces among the successful female managers
approached for this story. This trend may be explained by the
still prevalent idea of traditional gender roles in Czech society. "The
traditional model of gender roles - where a man's main concern
is work and a woman's is family - is still strong in Czech society," explains
Křížková. When these roles are reversed, it can be difficult
for men. According to Simerská, society looks on as if, "These
men are not proving themselves as men." And competition
can be devastating for a relationship, as was the case for Yvonna
Kreuzmannová, the director of Tanec Praha.
Her second husband, whom she was married to for five years before
divorcing in 2002, was trying to get his private business of the
ground while they were married; she, too, was working to move Tanec
Praha to the respected position it has now. But when the success
of her annual event started to pass her husband's business, it
made the marriage difficult. She said this "changed the relationship." As
director of a popular cultural event, there were many public events
to attend. "I felt he started to become frustrated because
he was following me," she says. And in the relationship, she
remembers, "the tension was too much. He never accepted the
fact that I was becoming more successful." Kreuzmannová also
believes that "it's a problem of tradition in society." Yet
she remains optimistic, pointing out that younger generations have
a bigger chance to travel (and study abroad) and see differences
in other societies. "It's a question of time," she says. "I
think [this perception] will change."
Mutual respect
In many cases, this is already happening. In a lot of marriages
where the women is in a high-profile position, the common ingredient
for
success is a man who is confident and satisfied with his own career
choice, even if he isn't in the spotlight like his wife. Dana Dvořáková
started her career as a journalist before switching sides to become
spokeswoman for Český Telecom, and then VÚB Bank in Slovakia (where
she played an important role in giving the bank an image makeover).
She now finds herself as communications director at Czech Airlines
(ČSA), as well as happily married for five years. Her husband, Petr
Šimůnek, who is a deputy editor at Mladá fronta Dnes and hosts a
political talk show on Frekvence 1 radio, says he feels no need to
compete with his wife. "I don't have any problem that my wife
is successful," he says. "I'm not jealous of her position." Their
relationship is still viewed by them as very equal, even though he
admits she sometimes makes a little more money than him. Šimůnek,
however, recognizes the problems can occur in relationships where
a woman plays a leading role. "I know many women who are more
successful than their husbands," he says, adding, "I know
some husbands who have trouble with this, but they have to cope with
it."
Another thing men have to cope with in relationships with successful
women is the time demand their partner's career can cause. Šimůnek
says this was a problem in his relationship with Dvořáková. "We
had some problems when my wife was in Slovakia," he says, adding
that was a big reason for her return home. Kreuzmannová also thinks
this played a role in both her marriages. Her first marriage with
an actor ended after five years. "Artists need more attention
and I was very busy," she says. In both marriages, she recalls, "I
wasn't home enough and was too busy."
Men at home
But for the women, time demand can also be a problem when
household chores are involved. Kreuzmannová says that even when her
second
husband's business wasn't going so well - giving him more free
time - he still wouldn't help out with things like cleaning and
shopping. Her solution was to get a maid, but Kreuzmannová's husband
resisted this. "There was still a feeling I had to do it," she
says.
Indeed, in many marriages involving successful (and busy) women,
household assistance, whether it's the husband or a maid, is a
must. Karel Řezníček, whose wife, Zuzana Řezníčková, was named
vice-president of marketing and sales at ČSA in January, says this
is very important. Řezníček, who himself is very busy running PPP,
a firm which consults on and plans construction projects, says
his family hires someone to take care of many household chores. "I
try to create an environment which makes it possible for her to
concentrate on work," he says, "and not have to worry
about daily chores." (see sidebar, p. 19)
But what about children? Šimůnek says he and Dvořáková plan to
have children, although they haven't discussed exact details over
who will put their career on hold during the first year. He thinks
that it would naturally be her the first few months, but later, "it
could be me," he adds. Under Czech law, men are allowed to
take paternity leave once the child is six months old. However,
according to research by Křížková, "a negligible number of
families take advantage of this option," she writes in one
report. For single mothers, which isn't a rarity among female managers,
it can be more difficult, as state maternity leave provides only
69% of their salary. For many, they are back at work after a short
period of time.
"
I decided to be a single mother," states Eva Kárníková, (41),
the managing director of Diner's Club in the Czech Republic. She
says she was back at work three months after her 9-month-old daughter
was born. To help her, her mother moved to Prague to live with
Kárníková and help with the baby. "I wouldn't be able to do
it without her," she says. "I wouldn't be able to focus." Still,
she doesn't see this as a long-term solution as the mother is getting
older, so she plans to hire a nanny until the baby is old enough
to enter kindergarten.
The question of what to do with a child until it is old enough
to enter school poses a dilemma for many female managers, and nannies
are not uncommon. According to Křížková's research, women "often
do not want to interrupt their career." In many organizations,
competition among positions is one factor, but in situations when
it's a woman running the business, taking a long time off isn't
an option.
So the solution is that most women choose not to choose, and research
by the Institute of Sociology has regularly found that the great
majority of Czech women think they are able to balance a career
and family. Which means that men - especially men in relationships
with female managers and entrepreneurs - will have to cope with
their partners' increasing success, just as Šimůnek advises.
| What
you don't see
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Karel
Řezníček & Zuzana Řezníčková
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Photo:
Vojtěch Vlk
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ZUZANA ŘEZNÍČKOVÁ
might be a tough act to follow for many men. But
that perception isn't a problem for her husband,
Karel Řezníček (44). "I personally don't feel
like I'm playing a secondary role in our relationship," he
says. "Rather I feel that we compliment each
other very well."
Working out of the spotlight, Řezníček runs PPP,
a company which advises on and plans construction
projects for big firms like Kaufland and Master Foods.
Meanwhile, his wife now sits on the board of directors
at Czech Airlines (ČSA), where she was named vice-president
of marketing and sales in January, and has made a
career marketing high-profile companies.
Řezníček recognizes that problems can arise in relationships
that involve successful women. "I assume that
many more problems are created in relationships with
this 'flipped' role," he says. However, he thinks
some simple ingredients help. "I am convinced
the foundation [of a successful relationship] is
mutual respect," he opines. An interest in each
other's work also helps. "Our work absorbs both
of us," Řezníček says, "and it's often
the topic of our discussions." He feels that
the most important aspect in handling a relationship
with a successful, high-profile careerwoman is knowing
you'll be there after the cameras are gone. "The
interest of the media and public is only an elusive
cloud," he says.
Their situation, Řezníček believes, works in a positive
way. "It strengthens us," he says, "and
perhaps forces us to do more and more activities,
even though people around us probably think that
it would be enough for us." While both partners
could be a breadwinner in any family, Řezníček maintains
that society doesn't specifically look down on family
situations where women are the breadwinners. "I
think that our traditional Czech society mainly doesn't
forgive success no matter whose it is," he says. "Society
is not interested in who brought more money to the
family, but much more in whether the family has money."
Jason Hovet |
|
| A perfect team
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Judita
Křížová & Aleksander Manić
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Photo:
Vojtěch Vlk
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As co-founders of Cabiria Films,
Judita Křížová and Aleksander (Sasha) Manić share not only
their work, but also their married life. Working as a producer/director
team of the company, both contribute on the artistic aspects;
however, according to Manić, it is Křížová who handles the
business side of things. "I like to let Judita conduct
all the meetings, while I prefer to focus more on the practical
work. She is very good at business meetings," emphasizes
Manić, and adds with a teasing smile, "I am mostly doing
whatever she tells me to do."
Because the two studied together at the Prague Film Academy
(where they first met) and are inextricably involved in one
another's work, Manić is able to "help [Křížová] make
the most out of her projects, and she helps me in the same
way. If she does not agree with something I do, she tells
me and we discuss it." Sharing every aspect of their
careers "works perfectly," according to Křížová,
who is executive producer. Manić concurs. "It's good
to know she understands what I am doing," he says. "For
example, when I spend days and nights editing films, she
is not going to scorn me [because] we did not get to spend
some 'quality time' together. There is no psychological problem
whatsoever with dealing with each other's professional successes."
The couple also finds that their dedication to work - each
other's and their own - extends far beyond the office and
the studio. "I am never able to distinguish between
what is work and what is not," Manić says. "The
work I do is the work I have always wanted to do, so I do
not need to make a difference between relaxing and working." Along
the same lines, Křížová confesses, "I am living with
it," and "thinking about [work] all the time."
At the moment, Manić mostly edits Křížová's films. Manić
was recently in London filming Křížová's current documentary
about horse-riding events, for which she is both producer
and director. He recounts that "my British hosts could
not help mentioning that I have a beautiful wife who seems
to be bossing me around." These sorts of assumptions,
however, phase Manić little. "It was okay this time,
because she is the director of the film and has the right
to tell me what to do," he says.
Fiona Gaze |
| Setting life
priorities
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Dita Stejskalová
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Photo:
Vojtěch Vlk
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Dita Stejskalová, managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations,
represents an increasing trend in the Czech business community
- she's single. For her, and many women in similar positions,
work comes first. "Hard work never killed a man," she
says, quoting David Ogilvy, her company's founder. Stejskalová
calls working in her top management capacity "a way
of life."
Lenka Simerská of Gender Studies notes that "[Business]
women under the age of 40 put everything into their work;
they don't have time to even think about meeting people." She
attributes this to the abundance of opportunities and ever-expanding
career choices that are now available to a post-revolution
generation of Czech women. With demanding schedules and new
ventures cropping up, it is not surprising that an increasing
amount of women are finding that meeting potential romantic
partners is rarely a possibility, and perhaps not even a
priority. Simerská observed that single women in managerial
positions tend to ignore the fact that they could be "settling
down" in long-term relationships or having a family.
The question she finds most interesting is, "whether
this [mindset] is voluntary, or imposed by either the nature
of their work or business culture in general."
In addition to staying single and committing to their careers,
a large number of women in top management are also happily
balancing the blessing of children in their lives. Yvonna
Kreuzmannová has been married - and divorced - twice, and
for now is relishing being single. "It's giving me a
lot of freedom," she says. As a mother-of-two and the
director of Tanec Praha, Kreuzmannová doesn't see dating
as a priority, but adds, "I can't plan these things." Factoring
children into one's life is also a commitment for unmarried
Eva Kárníková, CEO of Diner's Club, whose baby is ten months
old. Kárníková is decorating a new apartment, which, in combination
with her baby and full schedule at Diner's Club, doesn't
leave much time for socializing. "I am busy enough at
the moment," she says.
Still, a hectic schedule and a passion for work don't necessarily
rule out romance, dating, or a family life. For Stejskalová,
a relationship "is not a 'must have'. It is a 'lovely
to have'." She says that she does hope to have a family
someday, however, she adds emphatically that "life is
about priorities. I would prefer to hunt new business opportunities
than to hunt men."
Fiona Gaze |
| Absence
makes the heart grow fonder
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Jana Hybášková & Ivan
Gabal
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Photo:
Vojtěch Vlk
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Five years apart might sour some marriages, but when your
wife is a ranking member of the diplomatic corps, things
are a little different. Such is the case with Ivan Gabal,
husband of Jana Hybášková (38). "I've always been interested
in partners who were ambitious, self-confident and able," Gabal
says. Those are adjectives fit for an ambassador, which Hybášková
had been since 1997 before being called home from Kuwait
last December after a very public spat over the Czech army's
decision to withdraw its field hospital from southern Iraq.
The couple met in 1991 while working together at the Minister
of Foreign Affairs under current NATO ambassador, Karel Kovanda,
who Gabal claims introduced them. "My wife from the
beginning had a respect for and influence on her surroundings.
It was impossible not to notice," Gabal says. And he
was right. Shortly after their meeting, Hybášková, who speaks
Arabic and is an expert in Arabic studies, became the youngest
director of the Middle East and North Africa department at
the ministry, where she worked until 1997. Then she took
ambassadorships in Slovenia, Brussels (as EU ambassador),
and finally Kuwait in 2002. But their time apart doesn't
bother Gabal. "I give her maximum room for work and
professional projects," he says. Her decision to go
to Kuwait, according to Gabal, was a family affair, which
included their two daughters (ages 11 and 8), both who stayed
with their mother while she was in Kuwait. When she was offered
the post, Gabal says, "my wife had doubts and didn't
really want to go. We both assumed it would probably be a
war mission." But, in the end, at Gabal's urging, she
went. "She couldn't refuse it," he says.
Her next step, now that she is home from Kuwait, has also
been a family decision - although like the last decision,
it wasn't through consensus. "I'm afraid she will go
crazy in Czech politics," Gabal says about his wife's
plans to run for the European Parliament. But for now, Gabal,
who left ministry work and now runs his own analytical consulting
firm which specializes in human resources and public development
projects, is trying to enjoy the time together with his family. "When
we're able to be together, which isn't often, we and the
children do everything together. Time flies quickly, so it's
necessary to enjoy ourselves."
Jason Hovet |
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A support system
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Antonín
Baudyš & Zuzana Baudyšová
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Photo:
Vojtěch Vlk
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ANTONÍN BAUDYŠ got into politics after the revolution and
soon became the first civilian Czech Minister of Defence
in 1993 before resigning amid a small controversy a year
later. Ten years hence, his wife, Zuzana Baudyšová (56),
is poised to also join the parliamentary game.
"
The reason is simply to help children," she says, which
is what she has been trying to do with her foundation, Naše
dítě (Our Child), for the past 11 years. Now with his wife
stepping further into the spotlight and into a role he onced
played, Baudyš says he doesn't feel any role reversal in
the family. "I prefer to have a partner. It doesn't
matter what position she is in," he says. He also doesn't
feel any power struggle in the relationship. "I'm very
satisfied that she's in this high position," he says. "I'm
not jealous." When asked if Czech society shares his
liberal views, Baudyš laughs and says, "It doesn't matter
to me what Czech society thinks."
Baudyš, who became an entrepreneur and astrologer after leaving
politics, is now able to work from home, which he says creates
a good balance to his wife's busy life. "This situation
is much better for my wife," he says. "Now that
I'm home, I can take care of some of the family stuff." That
includes cooking a lot of the time, as well as taking care
of the family pets. But that doesn't mean Baudyšová lives
a charmed life. "A lot of the household duties are still
mine," she says. "I must play my role as a professional,
but also as a housewife." Even Baudyš acknowledges his
support is limited. "I am helping her more on the intellectual
level than in a practical sense," he says. "I can
look at problems from the outside." All of this will
of course help Baudyšová in her efforts to run for Czech
parliament next autumn.
Jason Hovet
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