Building a Career vs Building a Family - How Can We Support Working Moms?

Women’s History Month hits different after 2 years of a pandemic + the brunt of home life being shouldered on behalf of American women. 

Let’s start with the data - 

In 2020 – 2.1 MILLION women left the workforce in 2020 (Glassdoor, 2021). 
In 2020 – The percentage of working women fell to 57% (the lowest since 1988). 

In 2021 – 1.8 million jobs lost are still equated to women leaving the workforce since the onset of the pandemic (SHRM, 2022)

In 2021 – 63% of all jobs lost since March of 2020 are jobs that women held 

*Bonus - Men are recouping jobs at a significantly faster rate than women

We are in an equity crisis. And it is clear that the relationship between being a “professional” and a “parent” is non-existent.

Pick one: A parent. Or a professional. 

I will not stand idly by as we let the work of our ancestors, mothers, and sisters crumble in the face of choosing between the two - building a career or building a family. 

2022 is the start of a re-birth. Of new generations entering the workforce. Of new values being prioritized in our culture. Of re-imagining how we want to live our lives -- post pandemic. And we cannot leave working women and mothers behind. 

It’s not enough to simply gawk at the astounding numbers of women being unfairly impacted by the weight of the pandemic. Homeschooling, homemaking, meetings, meal planning, emails, laundry, never ending to do lists, burnout...ring a bell? 

We must work to create fair, equitable, and accessible opportunities for all working mothers in the workplace. 

But how? 

To start, I would encourage conversation amongst your friends, neighbors, peers, and colleagues (both women and men) to ask how they would manage work and family life in an ideal world.

Conversations are the first step, ideating is the second step, and the third step is creating change by putting these ideas into action (read: policy). 

Based on the conversations I’ve been having the last couple of years (and through my own experience recently becoming a mother myself) below you will find actionable steps and solutions to create sustainable and equity change policies. The recommendations ranged from maternity/paternity leave policies to sleep training to sick leave policies. 

Please consider allyship amongst women to be a powerful tool to reform our workplace policies. 

Policies 

• Parental leave is a MUST. The United States is one of the world’s wealthiest countries that does not mandate a paid parental leave. Parental leave is a non-negotiable for both men AND women if our society wants to support and encourage women (and their future children) to be contributing members of the workforce. Options to consider:

  • 3 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year

  • Full pay time, partial pay

  • Offered for both parents

  • Adoption + fostering included

• Child care - Another policy that lacks attention and resources in the United States. The financial implications of child care need to be at the forefront of any employer's people policies. Options to consider:

  • On-site day care

  • Stipends for child care

  • Work from home options

  • Flexible working hours 

• Equal and Equitable Pay - In the United States, women only make $.81 compared to every $1 a man makes. Unacceptable. Women are doing the same work (if not MORE inside + outside the home) and are being paid less. 

  • Run pay reports on each job function internally to understand the pay gaps

  • Promote based on contribution 

  • Provide transparency into pay bands

• Prioritize Family First Paid Time Off (pfPTO) - Encourage parents to take *paid* time off for necessary appointments that are crucial to their families. This includes but is not limited to:

  • Doctors appointments

  • Dentist appointments

  • Sick days

  • Parent/teacher conferences

  • Passport appointments

Programs 

• Mentorship - You know what they say... If you can dream it, you can be it. Yeah, well, women are less likely to dream it because they haven’t seen it down before. There are only 41 female CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies. Based on this data, only 8.2% women can dream it OR be it. Representation matters and representation can begin with impactful mentorship programs. 

  • Setup 1:1 mentorship programs in your workforce. Pair a new employee with a seasoned director or VP. Pair an expecting mother with a mother of two. Pair a single mother with another single mother. Pair two women who are choosing to be childless. 

  • Host panel and workshop opportunities where women can share their stories. It helps to know we are not alone and it helps build a community with your organization (a win-win for your culture)

• Skillshares - The work women do in the home is important to the work they do in the workplace. Motherhood and parenthood is essential to successful leadership and it’s important to be able to articulate, communicate, and translate the skills from home life to work life. 

  • Teach your workforce transferable skills. And in turn, teach your workforce how to communicate skills they can transfer successfully into varying environments (think of it like resume writing)

• Allyship -  This is a fun one because we all want to give back in the world and support those around us. Allyship can look different than “speaking up” and “speaking out”. It doesn’t have to be siloed to “educating yourself” or reading a ton of books about the female experience in the workplace (although, that’s not a bad road to take). It can simply be lending a helping hand. 

  • Ask a working mother if you can bring her coffee in the morning (I mean, you know how hectic those morning routines are)

  • Send a quick “you got this email” for a pick me up

  • Offer to bring over dinner for the family (Yes, it could literally just be a frozen pizza and premade salad)

  • Or my personal favorite, ask to babysit or have the kids over for a playdate so mama can get an hour of peace and quiet to herself

This post is not an exhaustive list of how employers and colleagues can support working mothers in the workforce and I am curious what else you would add here. 

Any HR professionals willing to weigh in? How about other working mothers?

As always, my inbox is open to you! Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback on how working mothers should be supported in the workplace. Your voice matters!