This paper analyzes and discusses the career narratives of skilled migrant mothers. The sample consists of highly educated married women who have children and are in dual career relationships (that is, both partners in the relationship work in paid employment). Most of the women whose narratives are shared in this paper are from WEIRD (White, English-Speaking, Industrialised, Rich, Democracies) countries and all of them are now living in a WEIRD country (either the Republic of Ireland or the United States of America) and are native or fluent English speakers. While their professional roles and individual stories vary, they share a conflicting subjectivity in light of their parallel and blended role identities resulting in deep internal reflections and related agential actions that serve to facilitate their renegotiation of their careers. Career, in this paper, refers to the whole-life understanding of career which includes the work and non-work experiences that impact upon one’s work-related decision-making. The aim and research objective of this paper is to explore the lived agential behaviors and cognitive self-negotiations that these women internalize to combine working careers and motherhood in a foreign culture. Specifically, the research question asks, how do women rationalize and behave agentially when combining working careers and motherhood in a foreign culture? In keeping with Foucault’s description of problematization, the paper problematizes practices that confer conceptualizations of good mother/good worker, with the focus is on the subjective moral reflections of the women in the sample.

This paper will present data of quantitative and qualitative research about mothers’ experiences to reconcile family duties and work in Lithuania. Much of research on work-life balance is focused on analysis of opportunities and conflicts faced by mothers to build professional career and care for their children. In this presentation I suggest applying the feminist theoretical frame on silencing discourses which help to disclose, as Liisa Husu, described “non-events’ practices in the work place. By applying this approach, the analysis of individual interviews of mothers reveals the institutional disempowering factors for women to exercise work-life balance. The targeted survey of young mothers, who recently returned to the work place after the child-care leave, shows the context that they face. The employers are reluctant to respond to women’s needs to balance work and care duties, ignore the professional needs of the mothers, and disregard the opportunities for promotion of the young mothers. Individual interviews with the mothers conducted in 2023, and focus groups in 2020 suggest in depth inquiry into organizational structural factors (leadership, organizational hierarchies, information and communication with employees) and beliefs system (attitudes, gender stereotypes). As a result, it shows the dynamics of power relations, disbalance and patriarchal care pattern that negatively affect young working mothers to reconcile work and child-care duties. Data analysis suggests that either they are stuck in the same position for years or they look for other employment opportunities to fulfill their professional aspirations

In Germany, the prevalent employment model, often referred to as the 'career-killer,' remains part-time work despite its well-documented adverse effects on career progression, pension contributions, and the subsequent risk of later-life poverty. Approximately 66 percent of working mothers opt for part-time, ranking second among the EU-27 member states. Beyond variations based on age and children, significant disparities arise from various sociodemographic factors. While extensive statistical data is available on maternal employment, qualitative research has yielded limited insights as why to mothers choose particular employment models and how these choices intersect with family policy regulations. This contribution is a subset of a comprehensive doctoral research project focusing on maternal educational aspirations. It draws upon a sample of 17 narrative interviews, comprising eight mothers born in Germany and nine born abroad. The results of the interviews show that the choice of an employment model is heavily influenced by factors like income, household structure, language skills, and cultural norms. Some mothers perceive part-time and mini-job options as a privilege, since financial security is provided by their partner. In contrast, single mothers may see part-time work as their only viable option. Moreover, factors like language skills and education are key to determining the availability of choices in the first place. Depending on cultural influences, access to education can be hindered for women, significantly limiting employment opportunities. In sum, mothers perceive part-time employment based on their life circumstances: as a privilege, a necessity, or even a yet-unachieved ambition.

Modern welfare states ensure protection against the mother's inability to work due to childbirth. The measures of welfare states have different designs based on the criterion of entitlement, benefit adequacy, and duration of the payment of benefits in different countries. The different legal regulation is on the work-family responsibilities reconciliation as well. This research aims to analyze social policy's capacities to protect mothers after childbirth in Lithuania. The research is based on compensatory welfare and social investment perspectives (Gregory,2018; Alcock, 2016; Hemerick, 2017; Baldock et al., 2012). For the implementation of the aim of the research, the analysis of actual versions of legislation is provided. The legal measures are analyzed according to compensatory and social investment dimensions. Eurostat, Lithuanian statistics, and data on State Social insurance in Lithuania during the last five years are analyzed to identify how compensatory welfare reduces family and children poverty. The data from qualitative research implemented (19 participants) in 2020 are presented for evaluation of parental leave and work reconciliation, and the data from qualitative research implemented in 2018 (26 participants) are presented to know the role of the state and employer in supporting childcare and work responsibilities.