Ningbo native Lisa Sun spent two decades at several multi-nationals in China, climbing the ranks in the human resources sector. Three years ago, however, she was forced to make a tough call. Her son, who was in primary school at the time, was diagnosed with a medical condition that required her full attention.

For her, it was not one of those decisions made in corporate boardrooms but a personal one. She got out of the regular workforce to become a freelancer for a year so she could care for the boy. “Because I have a husband, I’m a mother, I’m a daughter-in-law and a daughter, when my parents or parents-in-law get sick or my son needs my attention while my husband is busy, I have to make a choice to give up something and take care of them first,” Sun said.

While working women throughout the world face decisions like this every day, in China deeply seated cultural norms and traditions place greater pressure on women to care for parents or in-laws, forcing successful women to shorten their career or come up with innovative solutions to balance work, life and family.