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Some may take a less optimistic view of the study's results, however. Ely's research found, for example, that some 43% of female graduates from the Boomer generation (ages 48-66) are no longer working full-time, compared with only 28% of men. The discrepancy is more pronounced among Gen X women. Some 26% of women in this age group have left the full-time workforce, five times more than their male peers -- but well below Sandberg's estimate. The study found that the more children alumnae have, the more likely they are to nix full-time jobs. A whopping 37% of Gen X women with two or more kids aren't in the full-time workforce, compared with only 9% who have no children.
然而，有些人對研究結果可能并沒有這么樂觀。例如，伊莉的調查發現，來自嬰兒潮一代（48至66歲）的女性畢業生中，約有43%已經不再從事全職工作，而同年齡段男性的比例僅為28%。這種差異在X一代女性當中更為明顯。屬于這個年齡段的女性當中，約有26%已經離開了全職崗位，是同年齡段男性的五倍以上——不過這仍遠遠低于桑德伯格的預測。研究發現，女性畢業時的孩子越多，越有可能放棄全職工作。有兩個或兩個以上孩子的X一代女性畢業生中，竟然有37%沒有全職工作，相比而言，沒有孩子的同年齡段女性放棄全職工作的比例僅有9%。
Ely, who presented the survey's findings to some 900 female alumnae gathered at Harvard to celebrate the 50th anniversary of women's admission on April 4-5, says that many women who had opted out to care for their children are struggling with their decisions. "A lot of the women I talked to at the summit said, 'I feel that I am atrophying. I made a decision to leave my job because I felt overwhelmed. I felt guilty. I felt like I couldn't be good at anything.'"
在哈佛慶祝女性就讀MBA五十周年的活動上，伊莉將她的調查結果介紹給了在場的900位女校友。她表示，為了照顧孩子而決定退出職場的許多女性，對于當初的決定仍耿耿于懷。“在大會上，許多女性對我說：‘我感覺自己退化了。我之所以決定離開我的工作，是因為我覺得自己不堪重負。我感覺心虛。我認為自己再也做不好任何事情了。’”
The study, which allowed respondents to add written comments, underlines the angst many women feel over work-life balance issues. "It's a challenge to be a smart, driven, ambitious woman and still be a primary caregiver to one's children, " wrote a full-time working mother in the study. "We are taught we can 'have it all.' But there are sacrifices that need to be made, and women often feel as if they are 'failing' or 'not living up to potential' when making those sacrifices."
這項研究允許受訪者添加書面評論，由此發現了許多女性對于工作生活平衡問題的憂慮。其中一位職場媽媽這樣寫道：“既要做一名聰明能干、有志向的女性，又要承擔起照顧孩子的主要責任，這真的非常有挑戰性。人們總是告訴我們可以‘擁有一切’。然而，我們必須做出犧牲，而在這種情況下，女性經常感覺她們‘失敗了’，或者‘沒能發揮潛能’。”
One alum explained how, after having a child, her boss no longer wanted to give her challenging assignments for fear she would leave. "She started to get bored and asked herself, 'Why am I doing this?'" The alum explained: "Many organizations think women want less challenging work [after they have a child]. Actually, I was seeking more challenging work on some sort of track." Ultimately, this alum left the company.
一位女校友稱，在自己生完孩子之后，她的老板因為擔心她離職，再也不給她分配有挑戰性的工作。“于是，她開始感覺無聊，并問自己：‘我為什么要做這份工作？’”這位校友解釋道：“許多機構都認為，女性[在生完孩子之后]希望擔任沒有什么挑戰性的工作。而實際上，我希望接受一些挑戰性更強的工作。”最后，這位校友離開了那家公司。
When asked which factors are holding back women from advancing in their careers, 84% of female respondents acknowledged that it was "taking leaves or reducing work hours." The second most cited impediment to career advancement for women? "Prioritizing family over work." Some 82% of the female respondents in the study identified this reason.
當被問及哪些因素阻礙了女性的職業發展時，84%的女性受訪者承認，阻礙她們發展的是“請假或減少工作時間”。位居第二位的不利因素是“重視家庭高于工作”。有約82%的女性受訪者選擇了這個原因。
Beyond reconciling motherhood and careers, the survey suggests that external forces in the workplace are putting extra stress on women and steering them toward alternative work options, such as part-time and non-profit work. The majority of alums believe that a dearth of senior female role models, inhospitable corporate cultures, and the lack of supportive environments hold women back in the workplace.
除了協調媽媽的身份與職業之外，調查還發現，職場上的外部壓力給女性帶來了額外壓力，迫使她們選擇其他工作類型，例如兼職和非營利性工作。大多數校友都認為，缺少資深的女性榜樣、冷漠的公司文化，以及缺乏支持性環境等，都使女性在職場上舉步維艱。
