.jpg)
As a woman professional, “little things” build up over time even before we take into account the gender pay gap, which is more pronounced in skilled professional industries than blue-collar types of work. In any field, the cost of taking adequate maternity leave can have a devastating effect on one’s career and working life. As all of these tiny microaggressions add up, work itself becomes quite draining, both physically and mentally. Perhaps this is why 53% of full time freelancers are women. In fact, when we surveyed women who use Xolo, a clear majority had been treated differently prior to taking the leap to start freelancing: 64% felt discriminated against by a supervisor.
Leave the daily grind behind
Traditionally, we women have shied away from being independent business owners. That’s changing, but still it can feel intimidating to carve out your own path as a woman freelancer. But once you take the plunge you’ll realise how great it is: you can set your own hours, decide how much an hour of your time is worth, work wherever you want, and quickly learn to enjoy the freedom of being able to work wherever life takes you!
“Won’t” ⧣ “Can’t”
The list of reasons why you can’t get started as a freelancing female can be really long, but at the end of the day those are just excuses for why you haven’t yet taken the leap yet. It’s important to remember that “can’t” and “won’t” are two different things. Even though there’s a lot to learn when you start freelancing, there are still plenty of reasons why entrepreneurship is a perfect fit for women.
Here are a few reasons why freelancing is a great fit for women professionals:
- Set your own rates
- Flexible work/life balance
- Complete geographical freedom
- Put time and effort into what matters to you
Set your own rates
When working as a freelancer you get to set your own rates. This gives you the flexibility to charge by the hour, agree on a price for a project, or take on a monthly retainer in exchange for a specified amount of work. Of course, this can seem overwhelming at first, especially because you’ll be responsible for your own business finances and taxation, but luckily Xolo Go is here to make all of that easy for you. There’s less gender pay disparity in the gig economy than in a 9 to 5, and as a freelancer you also have flexibility as to when and where you work.
Flexible work/life balance
One of the most frustrating things about work is needing to schedule your life around your office hours. At first it can be a bit challenging to separate work and personal time as a freelancer, especially if you’re used to an office job. But you’ll appreciate how much less stressful it is to have freedom in your weekdays. This is especially true for working moms, who can’t be made to feel guilty for neglecting their kids while working, since it’s much easier to set your schedule around what matters most in your life as a freelancer. Best of all, for many women entrepreneurs who start freelancing, there aren’t any geographical limits on where or how you work, as long as you have your computer and an internet connection.
Complete geographical freedom
You know those Instagram models who share photos of themselves on tropical beaches in the middle of winter and boast about their fully nomadic lives? They’re likely freelancing females making a ton of money off of selling that lifestyle and the products they sponsor to low-key jealous consumers like us. But these women are actually in the minority insofar as women’s freelance gigs. You don’t need to be a model to have a nomadic freelancing lifestyle where you’re doing what you love and are fulfilled in doing so. You don’t even have to be nomadic at all.
Invest in what matters to you
As a freelancing female, you’ll be able to spend your time and energy in ways that revitalise you rather than working for someone else: as a freelancer, you can pick and choose who you work with and what types of projects you’ll take on. You also won’t have coworkers to deal with, and can easily dedicate yourself to developing your skill set while making a living.
Are you considering becoming a freelancer? Check out Xolo Go to get started on the right foot, or if you are interested in that nomadic lifestyle, Xolo Leap has you covered and can help you set up an e-residency in the EU.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash