Balancing Act: Balancing extreme careers, home life
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Barely recovered from giving birth to twin girls, explorer Mireya Mayor is already planning her next adventure into the jungle. She may go to Africa to observe wild chimpanzees or to try to discover a new species of lemur.
Clearly, studying animals on the verge of extinction as a National Geographic explorer has become more challenging since becoming a mother. With four girls under the age of 6, Ms. Mayor feels a bit differently about making expeditions for two or three months in remote habitats -- with little or no communications ability. But she has no plans to give it up.
"When I had children, I thought I had to make a decision to stay home or be an explorer," she said. "I realized that being an explorer is not what I do; it's who I am."
While many of us toil away at our computers, some American workers have jobs that involve travel, adventure and even danger. Yet, even the hardiest of adventurers finds it challenging to balance a profession and home life.
Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, has studied extreme jobs -- those that require people to work 70-hour weeks and those that require long periods of travel. "These extreme jobs are tougher on women because they are less likely to have a stay-at-home spouse," Ms. Hewlett said.
When she's home in Miami, Ms. Mayor films wildlife specials at local studios or writes articles for National Geographic Kids. She combines that with brushing her toddler's hair into ponytails or changing the babies' diapers at 3 a.m. When she's in the jungle, it's all about work. "I've been charged by gorillas, touched poisonous snakes, slept across from lions," she said.
After her first two daughters were born, Ms. Mayor was invited by TV producer Mark Burnett to join his TV cast for "Expedition Africa." She went. While she is away, her husband, Roland Wolff, and her mother pitch in with child care.
"My family finds a way to make it work," she said.
In her research, Ms. Hewlett has found that workers with extreme jobs -- whether they put in grueling hours or travel for months -- love what they do. In her studies, these workers cite the thrill of the challenge and achieving something big. Extreme jobs fuel workers' adrenaline highs and beef up the entire nation's competitive prowess, she found.
First Published November 20, 2011 12:00 am
