Banking and children - an impossible mix?

14 September 2006

2 minute read

Banking and children - an impossible mix?

Hope Pascucci, female banker extraordinaire, is said to be leaving Deutsche Bank to spend more time with her children. If she can't take the pace, what hope is there for mere mortals trying to juggle work and family?

Pascucci, head of Deutsche Bank's capital markets business for Europe and Asia, is stepping down, Financial News reports today. She was appointed head of Deutsche Bank's capital markets group in April.

Kate Grussing, a JPMorgan banker turned founder of Sapphire Partners, a company offering female executives to work flexibly in finance companies, tells us Pascucci's exit is regrettable. "It saddens me to hear the news. If there was any woman I would have expected not to step down, it was her - she was very career oriented and made no apologies about it."

Grussing says the surprise exit could have repercussions for other women at the company. "She had an extremely demanding, high profile, intense and rewarding career. It's a big loss for Deutsche and for women who look up to her as a role model."

But the notion that Pascucci is stepping aside to change diapers in Boston could yet be a smokescreen for something else. "It will be interesting to see if she turns up somewhere different," says Grussing.

Over to you - Add your comment and let us know what you think. Is banking just too much for women with families? Or is spending time with children a convenient excuse for moving on?

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Insider Comment

Jo
John
19 September 2006
What happened between now and April? Investment banking is an intense career choice for anybody. It's tough but everybody knows that. Women often complain that they don't feel banks support them, but what about men? We suffer the same strains and would like to spend more time with family also.
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Ja
Jane
19 September 2006
I think that banking is "too much" for those who are'nt really suited to it. This means lifestyle too. Unfortunately anyone choosing to go into banking has to consider whether it will match their lifestyle, or whether they're prepared to make some sacrifices for the sake of their career. Unfortunately this hit women harder, especially if they hear the ticking of their biological clock or already have children to raise. In the end though, I think that many bankers, male or female come to that crossroad where they have to decide what's more important. And after all the time Pascucci committed to her career, she's done well to make it this far. That said, who can say she wont turn up somewhere else in the future?
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