Story highlights Kyra Phillips: Women can delay childbirth and no longer have to say "no" to that promotion

She says egg freezing can level the playing field at the workplace for women

Kyra Phillips is anchor/correspondent for the CNN investigative and documentary units. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) There was a time not so long ago when my career would not have been possible. It's hard to imagine it now, but even a few decades ago, journalism was very much a man's world.

Kyra Phillips

The National Press Club didn't allow women to become members until 1971, when Helen Thomas successfully gained admission and eventually became its first female president. Cokie Roberts remembers applying for journalism jobs and consistently hearing that no women were allowed.

I was among the expanded group of women to break into the broadcast business in the 1980s, competing against an ol' boys' club almost entirely consisting of white men.

To keep my job, I knew I'd have to work harder than most men. I was willing to sacrifice almost anything for my professional success. I wanted to rule broadcast journalism, and so I broke a lot of hearts and turned down marriage proposals because I couldn't let a relationship interfere with my career path. I certainly wasn't about to let motherhood creep in, either.

It's not that I didn't want those things; I very much did. It's just that I knew what my goals were and what a competitive field I was in. When colleagues of mine asked to leave early to pick up their children, I thought, "What are you doing?! You're blowing it!"

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