Marissa Mayer may be busy with her duties and responsibilities as Yahoo's CEO. But the business executive ensures that she also has time for her husband, lawyer and investor Zachary Bogue, and their three children.
Marissa Mayer's Blended Lifestyle
In an interview with Bloomberg's Emily Chang, Mayer talked about how her experience as a mother influenced her leadership and business methods. According to the 41-year-old computer scientist, motherhood is "an incredible experience" and having children is "amazing," but she also loves to have "an impact" at work.
Mayer said that she is proud of her "blended lifestyle," where she spends quality time with her kids and watch them grow and learn new things, while also fulfilling her role as Yahoo's CEO. Watch Mayer's interview with Chang below.
Mayer, who has served as Yahoo's CEO since July 2012, has a three-year-old son named Macallister and twin girls Sylvana and Marielle, who are nearly one. Mayer didn't take Yahoo's 16 weeks of paid maternity leave during both pregnancies and instead just availed two weeks to accommodate her childbirth, Bloomberg reported.
Mayer's take on pregnancy and her duties at work were both criticized and applauded by other women. Carol Hochman, a former CEO of Danskin and chairman of Women in America, said Mayer established "a new path for younger, smarter women coming up behind her," the news outlet added. Alison Davis-Blake,the dean of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, said Mayer's approach mirrors how male executives juggle both fatherhood and work in equal measure.
Elaine Eisenman, the dean of executive education at Babson College, doesn't approve of Mayer's method. Eisenman said Mayer's dismissal of Yahoo's 16-week paid maternity leave could lead her employees to think that work is more important than family.
Marissa Mayer Slams Sexist Reporting
Yahoo's core internet assets were recently sold to Verizon for $4.8 billion. In an interview with the Financial Times after the sale, Mayer criticized the media for reporting about her in a "gender-charged" way.
Mayer told Financial Times that she's been trying to be "gender-blind" and maintain her belief that technology is "a gender-neutral zone," but she's finding it hard to do it now after the media's gender-biased reporting. There are speculations that Mayer will not join Verizon after the deal closed sometime in 2017.
Silicon Valley has been accused of a wide gender gap. Only 30 percent of its workers are women and there are few female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies, Fortune wrote.
