Readers weigh in on work-life balance

Share your thoughts and see what other readers are saying.

Making time for both work and family is always a challenge. But in surveys of graduates of Harvard and the University of Chicago, Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz find that financial-sector workers have the hardest time striking this balance—even compared to workers in fields with reputations for being demanding, such as medicine and law. Goldin says students should keep these findings in mind when weighing career choices. We're asking our readers:

Did you consider work-life balance in choosing your first job? How have these concerns affected your career choices since?

We hope you'll join the conversation by leaving a comment below. (This discussion is moderated, so your comment will not appear immediately.)

Most popular

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

All That’s Unseen charts the Harvard graduate’s uneasy journey from Appalachia to Cambridge and back.  

On Open to Debate, the Harvard economist defended free market competition—with meaningful government involvement. 

Explore More From Current Issue

Caricature of a young man in front of red doors, wearing a green striped sweater.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

A football player in a white jersey evades a defender in a green uniform on the field.

Despite personnel losses, Crimson captain Xaviah Bascon is upbeat about the 2026 season.

Runners compete on a track, with a Harvard athlete in the foreground and others behind.

After a historic 2025-26 season, athletes eye NCAA championships.