Allianz boss resigns because of children: Who can blame her?

It hurts a bit to read what this strange woman writes on Linkedin. Katja de la Viña was head of Allianz Lebensversicherungs-AG for over two years. “I love my job as CEO,” she now writes. And a little later: “But I also love my children and as a mother I have made a decision.” She wants to be there more for the children, which is difficult to reconcile with commuting and business trips. She writes about one of the hardest decisions in her life and then about her resigning.

And you read this and ask yourself: Is this really necessary?

And then straight away: who could blame her?

Most people will never have heard of Katja de la Viña in their life. They don’t know her private life circumstances, and they probably can’t even assess whether she did a good job or not. But somehow it does something to us when we hear that a woman in a powerful position is stepping down – of all things for the sake of her family.

There is a bit of anger at what we perceive as her weakness. But also anger at all the fathers in boardrooms who apparently have no problem with commuting and business trips. There is disappointment that it is still so difficult to reconcile a leadership role and a committed parent role. There is also a bit of joy that she now has more time for her children. Who wouldn’t want to take more time for the important people in life?

The problem: As understandable as Katja de la Viña’s decision is individually, it is a social catastrophe. In reality, discrimination against women in the world of work is often no longer discrimination against women. It is the mothers who are kept away from advancement, from better pay, from power. And not because this society hates mothers, but because there are things that are no longer so easy to do when you have to look after a baby or toddler.

The Christmas party where you really get to know the boss after your third beer? Another babysitter. The spontaneous business trip where you finally close the deal? Complicated. The really important customer conversation? Daycare is closed, everyone is sick.

You can make it easy for yourself and say: This all applies to fathers too. But the reality is different, and for many fathers it doesn’t apply the same way. This is what all studies on the subject show.

Different things can be derived from this: We have to make jobs, and explicitly management jobs, more family-friendly! But is this possible for all jobs? We need to expand daycare centers and involve fathers more! But don’t you just still want to have enough time with your children? And some might also say: Get organized better, dear mothers, it’s all just a big bummer. But can this opinion really be maintained when you see real mothers in leadership positions?

And that’s why there’s anger, disappointment and joy when you read Katja de la Viña’s post. But above all there is one feeling: great helplessness.