Dare to accept help and to not be perfect!

Anna Mattsson’s schedule is packed: alongside her job as a partner at McKinsey, an international management consulting firm, the mother of two has also been the president of the board of Advance since May 2023. This Swiss business association actively advocates for gender equality in professional life, a cause close to the heart of the Swedish-born executive. As a working mother, she often wished to be everywhere at once – to meet her own standards and give her best in every area.

When asked when she was first confronted with the “child or career” question, Anna laughs. “Honestly, that was only after my arrival here in Switzerland, following a business appointment.”

Born in Sweden and schooled in Germany, Anna’s professional career started in London, before bringing her to Zurich over a decade ago. Abroad, neither she nor her then-husband questioned whether she should stay at home after the birth of their first child. “That’s just not common in the UK. So you weren’t looked at strangely if the child was cared for by others and the mother went to work,” Anna reports. In Sweden, both her parents worked while the young Anna was with a childminder. That worked well and shaped her worldview. In Switzerland, however, she was questioned about her work status only a few months after her arrival.

It was on a Friday evening after a business appointment. A client overheard her talking to colleagues about her child. “He asked me directly why I wasn’t with my daughter. I replied that her father was looking after her. As the conversation progressed, it turned out he wasn’t referring to that specific moment, but wondered why I worked at all.” She still shakes her head at the memory of this conversation.

Decisions are part of life

“In my job in strategic consulting, at least until the pandemic in 2020, I had to travel a lot. I did this with full conviction and passion. I like being with the client and appreciate the personal exchange,” says Anna. Yet after the birth of her first daughter, she questioned whether she should immediately return to a role that would demand so much of her time. She initially chose a position in the office. There, the working hours were predictable; Anna was more flexible. Her plan was to return to a customer-facing function after a year. “But I quickly realized that I missed the part of the job that gave me the most energy,” she reflects. “So I returned to active project care after only seven months.”

Today, her children are 10 and 12 years old. When they were much younger, Anna considered reducing her workload and working part time, she admits. “To have more time for them. But in the end, I had to be honest with myself. I would have officially had a part-time job. But I know myself. In practice, I probably would have worked full time – for less pay,” she laughs.

You can’t be everywhere

As a working mother, Anna initially had worries. “Mothers should be able to openly express that they sometimes find themselves in an emotional conflict,” she asserts. “I felt guilty towards my children when I was at work. And when I was at home, I felt guilty because I felt I was neglecting my professional duties.” She was helped by the insight that no one can always do everything perfectly – not even as a mother. “And that should be openly addressed. Often we are confronted with role models of mothers who are presented as absolute high-flyers. But they are also only human.” Her recommendation: dare to accept help and not be shy about delegating certain tasks. This became especially clear to her when she started baking cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday after a long workday at midnight. She was in the kitchen until the middle of the night, decorating the little cakes in different colors. “When my daughter woke up the next morning, I was still totally tired. I couldn’t properly enjoy the moment with her. Whether the topping of the cupcakes was red or blue didn’t matter to her as a one-year-old, of course. That’s when I swore: from now on, I’ll buy the cake and enjoy the time with her,” she recounts.

Family is teamwork

The expert for mergers and acquisitions is annoyed that in Switzerland, it is usually women who scale back their professional ambitions after the birth of a child. “Despite a good education, many decide to take a career break for a while. Especially in times of skilled labor shortages, there should be more efforts to bring these talents back into the profession – or not to lose them in the first place with flexible offers,” she demands. She shares this insight with the network Advance, in which Anna is active, which also points to the economic potential of better integration of women into the general workforce and into leadership positions. That the company Anna works for is consistently committed to this aspect, and even in a twofold way, has excited Anna from the beginning. “We publish numerous studies on the topic of women in the workforce. And of course, diversity and inclusion are values that we live every day; special programs for female employees are also offered.”

Regarding the private sphere, Anna advises young couples to agree before starting a family on what life with a child should look like. Who works and to what extent? Who takes care of laundry? Who does the shopping? Who cooks? “There’s no course that prepares you for family life. Joint planning pays off for everyone. Otherwise, there’s a lot of potential for conflict,” she says. She herself tries to teach her children that everyone has the same tasks in the household and in family life. “With us, there’s nothing that only the girls or only the boys do. Everyone pitches in, my son as much as my daughter.”

Looking into the future for oneself

In recent years, much has changed in Switzerland from Anna’s perspective. “I see that young fathers also question the compatibility of family and career. Men take on more responsibility for their children. No one raises an eyebrow when this is the case,” she emphasizes. She hopes that both parents can have the freedom to be parents. And another point is very important to her: the impact of a decision against the professional re-entry of mothers. In the short term, this may seem like a sensible step. Often the second salary barely covers the costs of external care. In the long run, however, this negatively affects the financial situation of women – significantly to their disadvantage. They not only earn less than men during their working lives but also suffer significant losses concerning their pension entitlements. Part-time work also reduces the chance of a career leap and financial independence. “Everyone should have the chance to work full time,” Anna concludes.

“Mothers should be able to openly express that they sometimes find themselves in an emotional conflict.”