Do women in your company hesitate to tell you they are pregnant? #1

I am really torn about writing these reviews on the impact of motherhood and equal opportunities in the workplace. So here are some disclaimers.

#1 Doing any DEI work, when I touch on areas where I don't have lived experience, I am afraid I'll mess it up. So please tell me if I do!

#2 Whenever building any policies or doing any communication, I usually refer to parental status to include everyone with parental and caretaker responsibilities that might face discrimination and blockers in the workplace. I am waiving this for this article and happy to re-approach the angle, when others than mothers signal similar hardships.

In the past weeks I've had an overflow of requests and questions for the We Include podcast as frustrating work conversations, perplexing outcomes around promotions and solid, justified fears around having a baby or returning to work take over mother's minds around the world.

If you are a business leader, who wants to build an inclusive space for mothers here are 10 key themes to consider:

1.Gender bias and discrimination:

Mothers often face unequal treatment and biased hiring and promotion practices based on their gender and caregiving responsabilities.

( I still remember my first interview when I was asked a series of leading questions towards my intent to go on maternity leave: how old are you, married? boyfriend? kids?...ok interview over! ... It still unsurprisingly happens, and while legal representations in these cases is unaffordable for most, orgs like Pregnant Then Screwed do wonders like these ones: Mother wins ￡60,000 over Morrisons discrimination (2022)

2. Work-life balance:

Balancing work and family responsibilities can be a major challenge for mothers, especially with inflexible schedules and long working hours.

This is why I love 50inTech , they get it!

3. Lack of support and understanding:

Mothers may feel isolated or undervalued due to a lack of maternity leave, breastfeeding accommodations, and flexible work arrangements. Harvard Business Review covers it pretty well.

4. Career advancement opportunities:

Bias and assumptions about mothers' commitment and ability to balance work and family can limit their opportunities for career advancement. Stay tuned for #part3 for an extensive covering of this.

5. Childcare affordability and availability:

Affordable and accessible childcare is crucial, but high costs and long waiting lists can create obstacles for working mothers. In Europe, especially capitals like Amsterdam, London, Berlin are "a nightmare" to quote close friends. Euronews's - Childcare puzzle : Which countries in Europe have the highest and lowest childcare costs? 03/2023: In the UK families could spend a whopping 75% of their monthly income on childcare, which discourages women from going back to work.

6. Reentering the workforce: Returning to work after a career break can be challenging for mothers due to skills gaps and skepticism from employers.

The only truly impactful organisations I know of is led by the fierce Beckie Taylor and I hope scales and bursts its reach across many more countries and fields!

7. Mental and emotional well-being:

Balancing work and motherhood can take a toll on mothers' stress levels and emotional well-being.

Our friends from nilo.health - just joined forces with Likeminded - cover multiple angles in their insights on how mental health and motherhood deserve augmented attention and even more so for those struggling to become mothers: "Calling it a “global public health issue”, the World Health Organization estimates that over?10% of women worldwide?suffer from infertility"

8. Supportive company policies:

Maternity leave, flexible work arrangements, and on-site childcare can make a huge difference in supporting working mothers.

Or what Forbes calls Investing in Human Infrastructure!

9. Networking and professional development:

Time constraints and limited availability outside of work can make it difficult for mothers to access professional development opportunities and networking events.

This one hits home again, as someone who organised hundreds of events for Women in Tech and still sees constantly men somehow getting more feedback, inside info and buy-in, it was not until Xavier Noelle ( hi and thank you! ??) and I had a discussion that really made it so clear how much of that happens outside working hours.

10. Overcoming societal expectations:

Mothers may face challenges in balancing their roles as caregivers and professionals, and need acceptance and support in pursuing their career goals.

Just this week in conversations!

• " When the CEO of a top 500 Forbes company with 3 kids was telling everyone she manages to do it all, while I consciously know she can afford much more support, I still feel the pressure."
• "My partner grew up taking on nothing of the house and parenting responsibilities, his mother doing it all and can't really get his head around the fact that is not an option"

There is no conclusion today, just a call to action: Having seen this list, what can we collectively do better?

[ Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 focusing on what solutions are designed at governmental and corporate levels to truly improve inclusion, retention and equal opportunity]