By Laurie Segall @CNNMoneyTech May 18, 2011: 5:19 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- What if men ran half of households around the world and women ran half the companies? Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg thinks the world would be a better place. Sandberg offered that idea in her commencement speech on Tuesday in New York to a group of 600 graduating students from all-women college Barnard, as well as their camera-festooned families. "Let's just say I'm not usually in a room with this many women," quipped Sandberg, who works in Silicon Valley's tech trenches. As Facebook's No. 2, she provides the "adult supervision" -- and a widely admired wealth of operational expertise -- to the tech world's hottest company. Her message to Barnard's graduating crop was clear: There aren't enough women in the workforce, and the gender gap is very much part of our society. "Men run the world," she told the audience, before rolling out a list of statistics to support the statement. One eye-popping one: Among the world's 190 major heads of states, nine are women. Those numbers haven't moved in the past decade. "It's very clear that my generation is not going to change this problem," she said. Sandberg, who served as chief of staff for the Treasury Department and a top executive at Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) before joining Facebook as 27-year-old CEO Mark Zuckerberg's right-hand woman, wants to see young women be more aggressive in pursuing paths in government and business. "Men are more ambitious. We will never close the achievement gap if we don't close the ambition gap," she said. "Women underestimate their performance." But Sandberg will admit -- it's not easy. She spoke candidly about her early days at Facebook and the criticism she faced in the beginning, specifically citing a "well-read blog post" (she didn't name the blog, but our money's on a Gawker post labeling her a liar) blasting her soon after her arrival. "I cried some when I was alone," she said. "Then I told myself it didn't matter ... My only response was just to do my job and do it well." Sandberg has hit similar themes before in her speeches, including an extremely popular TED Talk on "Why we have too few women leaders." Many in the crowd at Barnard responded enthusiastically: Graduating student Tiara Miles declared Sandberg's advice a "perfect fit" for the way Barnard educates its students. Parents also liked what they heard. "Having two daughters, I loved it," said Doug Roger, a father in the audience."If we have more women in government and positions of responsibility, we'd have fewer wars, less famine." Sandberg joins a flock of tech luminaries making the rounds at universities this month, delivering commencement speeches. Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley spoke at his alma mater, the Syracuse School of Information Studies, about his twisty journey from working $6-an-hour jobs to launching a series of hotshot tech startups. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) CEO Steve Ballmer slipped a few Skype jokes into his University of Southern California talk last week, which focused on finding your passion and being tenacious in pursuing it. Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) co-founder Steve Wozniak also urged students at Michigan State University to pursue the projects they really care about: "Don't waste your life," he advised. Woz's comment was a poignant echo of Steve Jobs' one and only commencement talk, delivered six years ago at Stanford and still often cited as the speech of Steve Jobs' life. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life," he told the crowd.

Nikki Mark was having trouble leaving her two young boys at home when she was heading to work every Monday morning. Her boys kept asking why she had to leave, and why couldn’t they keep playing. To answer, she wrote a book titled Mommy Brings Home the Bacon, which instantly caught on with the general public and working moms everywhere. The book was originally created for her boys, but once the book was written Mark decided to publish it to give other mothers and single working parents an easy to understand book for their children to understand why mommy is going back to work. Mark also discusses the proper work life balance, and how difficult it might be to attain.

Find out what it takes to be happy working mom by talking with Julie Auclair and author of What Happy Working Mothers Know, Cathy Greenberg, who appeared on Parents TV. Being a happy working mom is key to your happiness. Greenberg discusses the formula she created for making a HAPPY mom. H – Healthy A – Adaptation P – Proud of your family P – Proud of your work Y – Young at heart Understand more of what Greenberg tells in her book by watching the video below.

What is the effect on the family when there is a working mom along with a working dad? Not too long ago it was the norm for the mom to stay at home. However, due to economic factors it has now become necessary for the norm to change to having 2 working parents. How does this effect the family dynamics and the children's development? The following is a list of advantages and disadvantages of having a working mom along with a working dad.

Advantages

• increased income and thus fewer financial stresses
• potential for greater equality in the roles of husband and wife
• With their wives out in the workplace, men find it easier to define a greater role for themselves in child-raising - this is particularly evident when parents have staggered work schedules

Disadvantages

• children might attach themselves to a daycare provider
• more effort to make family events take place
• parent burn out

• Throughout your workday, fit some relaxing moments into your routine
• If you regularly come home tired, try to develop rituals that improve your frame of mind when you arrive home
• Assess how you are spending your time during the day and look for areas in which you can reduce stress
• Involve the entire family in the evening responsibilities that are such a drain on your time and energy
• Keep your expectations realistic
• On the weekends, schedule some relaxation time for yourself

According to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, women in general lag behind men in the workforce. As of 2007, females make up just 40% of managers and earn 81 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women did, however, manage to shrink the pay gap. Back in 2000, females made up 39% of managers and earned just 79 cents for every dollar a man took home in his paycheck. The somewhat surprising news is that working moms saw no pay improvement. Women with children under the age of 18 made no progress and continue to make just 79 cents for every dollar men earn. “I call this the mom bomb,” says Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and chair of the Joint Economic Committee, who commissioned the report. “When men become fathers their pay goes up and when women become moms their pay goes down.” Maloney also worries that if women at the top of the economic ladder continue to suffer from a persistent pay gap, then the picture is likely even grimmer as we move down the economic ladder. The one question the report doesn’t answer is why working mothers earn less than women without children. Is it because there’s discrimination in the workforce? Or, is it because many mothers can’t put in long hours or as much face time at the office since they have kids that need to be fed and put to bed each night? There’s no doubt that women can get the job done, says Maloney. So some of the pay gap is because of discrimination, she believes. And some of it is cultural, she says. While those two facts are difficult to change, one thing that working moms can do to improve their take home salary is to hone their negotiating skills, she adds. I’m not so sure sharpening one’s negotiating skills alone will close the gender and motherhood pay gap. But I do think creating awareness is a start. And I also believe it’s important to break the bad news to young women that becoming a mother will likely change their career trajectory. And while men may not think this is a problem they need to worry about, it is. That’s because a married woman’s financial contribution, at least at the managerial level, makes up 55% of a families’ total wages, according to the report. So if mom earns less than her peers, then the household as a whole has less to live on than it should. Are you surprised mothers earn less than their childless peers?

Lack of time, money and confidence. Do these attributes sound like the excuses you’ve been giving yourself for years as reasoning behind not going back to school? Project Working Mom is a program by eLearners.com and promoted by The Tyra Banks Show as a resource to help working moms get the college education they deserve. According to the Project Working Mom website, “eLearners.com is committed to addressing these issues by raising awareness, aggregating support for a solution and serving as a resource for working mothers and fathers to pursue their educational dreams.” The Project Mom program has supplied $5 million in scholarship money for working parents to go back to school in the form of an online university. Time Project Working Mom promotes the need of a college education for parents with kids who are still infants, or ones that already have a career. The site has information on how an online education can fit into a working moms schedule along with mom’s success stories about the careers they’ve achieved. Money The funding of college is difficult to save for, especially if you are a parent. The scholarships given by Project Working Mom are the programs most important resource. Not only does the program offer scholarships from tons of accredited online universities, but it also gives advice on how to correctly finance your family budget while participating in online classes. Confidence The age of computers is not as challenging as some might think. A lot of working moms find the daily stress and tension of staring at a computer or working from home tedious, but being a good student comes easily with online universities; Project Working Mom pairs up schools with professors that will take you through every step of a process so no one is left behind. Some Terms and Conditions

• Project Working Mom has no age limit
• You do not have to have an income to receive one of the scholarships
• Any mother can apply; single, married, widowed, etc.
• The scholarship program is for all parents – dads can apply as well
• You cannot use the scholarship to fund your classes in a program you are already participating in
• The scholarships are for online education only – no campus programs

Many family units look to the mother to be the care giver, the provider, the cook and the mediator. Being a working mom can seriously damage the relationships you have strived to form with your kids if you do not know how juggle all your personal and professional responsibilities. If you find working away from home is too much for you and your family, becoming a working mom at home might be the right option for you. Becoming a mother is the most wonderful experience one can have, and should not be marred by the thoughts of professional dreams flying out the window. You can be both super mom and the savvy professional by turning into a home working mom. Here are some at-home career options to keep your life as a working mom stable and enjoyable. Management Analyst Salary: $84,650 Description: If you already know the ins and outs of a certain industry or business area, becoming a freelance analyst for multiple companies could become extremely lucrative. You would work on a project basis and the only travel would be on occasion to client offices. Web Developer Salary: $70,930 Description: A website can be looked at and worked on from any location, as long as the computer has the needed software. A home working mom with a bachelor’s in computer science (or related field) can very easily work on a contract basis with multiple clients on their websites. Technical Writer Salary: $65,610 Description: Technical subjects can be extremely tedious to read by the everyday person, which is where tech writers come in. They write, usually for one specific company, creating how-to documents, instructional manuals, and/or medical brochures. Public Relations Specialist Salary: $59,370 Description: This position can sometimes be in the office, other times in the home. The job of a public relations specialist is to form a positive relationship between a company and the public through press releases and interest groups. This job can be done in office or by a working mom at home. Interior Designer Salary: $51,990 Description: If you have a background in art, architecture and spatial planning, interior design is the perfect job for you. Many interior designers are working moms who work on a project basis from their homes. This position definitely needs an associate’s or bachelor’s degree to make any sort of name for yourself. Graphic Designer Salary: $47,820 Description: Graphic designers work on computer design applications, ranging from advertisements and logos up to the creative creation of an entire website. Experience or a degree in graphic design is a common prerequisite of this position, as is full knowledge of HTML and computer design programs. Caterer Salary: $44,240 Description: If you are a chef who can’t deal with the busy and stressful restaurant life, becoming a caterer is a popular go-to career. Whereas this career choice brings you outside the home, it is usually during the evening/night, and not for the amount of hours as a normal daytime job. Make sure your kitchen is well stocked and has the ample space to cook and prepare food for large parties. You also need to keep in mind Mental Health Counselor Salary: $41,710 Description: This career needs a master’s degree in mental health or clinical counseling, along with being licensed by your state, before you can become a self-employed counselor. This position uses therapeutic techniques to treat patients suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, and other mental health disorders. Keep in mind, people with these mental illnesses will be coming to your house, which could cause your children to be scared or weary. Everything is at your discretion, but sometimes being a working mom has its hard decisions. Massage Therapist Salary: $39,780 Description: Whereas most massage therapists work at a specific location, many are also self-employed and bring clients to their homes, or go to clients homes. Appointments can be made to fit your personal lifestyle. Most states require a state license to become a massage therapist. You will be working with people who need help relieving stress, relaxing overworked muscles, and recovering from an injury. Customer Service Representative Salary: $32,410 Description: Most companies require a customer service rep to have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, or a related field. Many companies are offering this job as a telecommuting position, so being a working mom from home is perfect. *All salaries are based from the 2009 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report

Mother’s Day is coming up quickly! On May 9th it’s time for all of us to show how much we care about our mothers. Figuring out what to get mom on her special day can be quite difficult though. Working moms can sometimes be hard to pick gifts out for. They’re always so busy sometimes it’s hard to figure out what they would like. In light of the difficulty that sometimes comes from choosing a Mother’s Day gift, we put together a list of items that are easy to find and easy on the wallet. These are specifically geared towards working moms. They will show her how much you appreciate her as well as show her you appreciate all she does while at work. Some of these cannot only help take out the daily stress and tension from working moms, but some can give great activities to share with your family. Even if you are a single working parent, one can always find time to enjoy presents! Here are some great Mother’s Day present ideas for working moms:

• Dinner of the Month membership
• Desktop plants
• Massage/spa massages
• Fun laptop bags
• Pocket agenda books
• Personalized mugs/coffee thermos
• Gourmet tea gift basket
• Beverage warmers
• Business card case with pictures on it
• Wine of the Month membership
• Massaging foot spas
• Personalized computer mouse pad
• Purses
• Anti-stress bath

With the working mom’s life busy enough with getting the kids up for school, packing lunches, getting them on the bus, avoiding traffic on the way to work, being productive at work, catching your daughters dance rehearsal and son’s game, cooking dinner and letting the dog out, staying in touch with today’s world of technology is not high on the working mom’s list. However, the newly released Apple iPad 3g is a form of technology that might be helpful to the working mom. The new iPad 3g has applications specifically geared for the person on the go like a working mom or single working parent. In case the work life balance has gotten too big out of hand, an application is a widget originally designed for the iPhone. It allows your phone to give you access to games, news, auctions, Wall Street, newspapers, books, quizzes… anything the mind can think of. Most of these applications- or apps- are for entertainment purposes. However, there are certain apps on the iPad 3g that working moms can use to their advantage.

• The Wall Street Journal application on the iPad 3g allows you to read the newspaper in a format that does not take over the entirety of your kitchen table (or block your neighbor on the metro). Stay up-to-date with current events while on your way to work or while waiting to pick up the kids from day care.
• E*TRADE Mobile Pro allows working moms to keep an eye on your investments at a quick glance. The large screen of iPads makes it easy to read everything.
• The Epicurious App on the iPads gives you access to over 25,000 recipes. Go through it on your lunch break at work or when you get home and are at a loss as to what to cook the kids.

Juggling family responsibilities, mom responsibilities and work responsibilities can get very stressful and nerve racking for the working mom. In today’s technology driven society it is probably capable to stay awake and get everything done in a 24 hour period, but you do not need to stay awake for 24 hours!!! Working moms have a lot on their plates, and sometimes it’s hard to figure out how to deal with it all. Finding a work life balance is hard to do. The following list, created by motivational speaker and trainer Joan Woods, will help the stressed out and tension filled working mom prioritize what is important and what can be actually be done without killing yourself.

• Change your response to the world — it's not the stressor but our response to it.
• Laughter is the best medicine — there's no fun in medicine but a lot of medicine in fun.
• Become productive not destructive — learn lessons from life; don't keep making the same mistakes.
• Be a ‘Competent Coper’ — know when perfection is not possible and adjust.
• Get rid of anger — know your stress threshold.
• Make a ‘hit-list’ — “so much to do in so little time” so prioritize; do what you can, now.
• Nurture your spirituality — find peace of mind, regularly.
• Stop Procrastinating! — set achievable goals. Don't fail to plan or you'll plan to fail.
• "Don't go there" — that well known phrase that, to me, means anywhere negative, critical, unsupportive, or that causes you to lose control, self-respect, or your mind!
• Slow Down — get a hobby ... take a vacation, make use of the present moment