When we read the Wall Street Journal article this week in which the former CEO of GE, Jack Welch, states there's "no such thing as work-life balance," our blood really started boiling.

No such thing!?  What we want to know is, "Why not already?"

We're tired of people bemoaning that work-life balance isn't possible, while there are real-life solutions in the form of family-friendly policies at our disposal--policies which also up the corporate fiscal bottom line by helping to retain and advance women. Yes, it's true: Recent research underscores that having women in leadership is correlated with improving the fiscal bottom line for businesses1.

Join us in asking the CEOs of the leading Fortune 500 companies to take action and put policies in place which enable women to advance to the top in their careers and also take care of their families.

Click here now to sign the letter:  http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1926

CEOs--and former CEOs who are business thought leaders--aren't innocent bystanders as we all struggle with work-life balance.  They have the power to do something about it by making significant changes in the workplaces they oversee.

Our economy now depends on the millions of women who work outside the home, and the vast majority of these women are mothers.  In fact, women now make up almost half of the workforce and obtain more than 50% of college degrees2. With this information in mind, a big question comes forward: Why have so many workplaces failed to catch up to 21st Century realities when there are win-win solutions available?  The answer: Too many employers don't understand the benefits of having family-friendly policies like flexible work options and paid family leave which can simultaneously increase productivity, as well as attract and retain high quality employees.

This isn't just rhetoric.  Recent studies show that companies with women in leadership are actually doing better fiscally even in this tough economic environment. For example, a Pepperdine University study found that Fortune 500 companies with the best track records for having women in leadership roles fiscally outperformed industry medians as measured by revenue, asset growth, and equity.  Other studies found that hedge funds with women in leadership did significantly better over time3.

Don't forget to sign on to our open letter to the top CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.  We're asking them to take the initiative to implement company policies which address the needs of the modern workforce, of which women - and mothers - can be key contributors to their fiscal success.

Sign the letter: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1926

We need 10,000 signatures by NEXT Wednesday the 22nd so we can make sure the letter gets in the hands of these CEOs by National Parents' Day (July 26).  We can't think of a better way to celebrate that day than by handing over a letter with so many thousands of signatures that it can't be ignored.

The more signatures, the more effective we'll be - so tell your friends, tell your family, tell your co-workers.  Together we can make work-life balance better for every mom.

Onward!

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[1]http://www.miller-mccune.com/business_economics/profit-thy-name-is-woman-1007 andhttp://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/A_business_case_for_women_2192

[2]U.S. Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/main.htm andU.S. Department of Education, http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

[3]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071002358.html and http://www.miller-mccune.com/business_economics/profit-thy-name-is-woman-1007