Editor's note: This Viewpoint accompanies the JAPhA landmark article “Practice longevity and continuity of women pharmacists” that has been republished on page 711.

By the time I became chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, we had family leave policies for both men and women. Today, our university policy states: “Family accommodation policies for childbearing and childrearing responsibilities are fundamental to an equitable and productive academic environment. … An academic appointee who bears a child is eligible for childbearing leave for the period prior to, during, and after childbirth. Leave for childbirth and recovery normally will be for at least 6 weeks” (italics are mine).

I commend to you a very thoughtful and provocative piece authored by Anne-Marie Slaughter in the July/August 2012 issue of The Atlantic magazine. ⁺² She writes that even when one has a supportive husband who fully shares in the parenting, job expectations remain favorable to those who sacrifice family for work priorities. The attention, effort, and organization needed to attend to children is not recognized or valued, as evidenced by rigid schedules and “face time” expectations. And work time has expanded beyond the usual work week, impinging on precious family time. These situations may not apply to us all, but what Ms. Slaughter makes clear is that there is still more to do to allow both men and women to achieve the work–life balance we all need to be there for our families and to deliver exceptional results at work. This will be an ever-increasing challenge, as technology has dissolved the traditional physical boundary between home and work.