Pregnancy & the Workplace

I wanted to highlight a really important campaign that @Pregnant_Then_Screwed are currently running, which calls on mothers (or mothers-to-be) to share their workplace x motherhood experiences. 

I was (for the most part) quite fortunate in terms of my professional experiences during pregnancy, especially given my ‘freelance’ status .

Through pure luck, my first pregnancy coincided with a lengthy contract, working for two line-managers who just so happened to be mom’s themselves. 

Now, to be clear, that should NOT be a requirement for a positive experience (nor is that always the result). 

Nevertheless, I was incredibly nervous about sharing my news that first time around, fearing that I would surely be pulled off the rather large commercial campaigns I was charged with producing at the time. To my surprise though, the opposite happened. 

With two working mothers in charge, and their manager in turn a professional mum as well, a tone and expectation was set. Support was there to enable me to find a balance that worked alongside my pregnancy (from OB appointments to WFH days) and I spent the last week before ‘maternity leave’ filming a major campaign.

There was no attempt to forcibly minimise or diminish my work due to being pregnant, nor was it viewed as a ‘condition’ as such. Instead it was just seen as an exciting extra that in no way impacted my creative abilities (again, not the same as suggesting it wouldn’t impact me physically, mentally or in the long term in terms of needs from a workplace). 

Now, I would categorically not have had as positive a first pregnancy - from a professional standpoint -without women in leadership positions above and around me. 

In fact, as a freelancer I have worked (bump included) for a number of different types of organisations and people. And been told (or overheard) things like:

“This would never be an issue if we just hired men in these roles.”

“This is what you get for including women.” 

“Are you planning on popping out any more?”

“You won’t be able to commit to those hours after becoming a mom I guess, so maybe you should consider this role instead?”

“I’m sorry, but we won’t be able to offer flexibility” (in response to answering that I did indeed have kids)

“She’s coming up to thirty though, she will probably be looking to have kids soon.” (when discussing candidates for a role)

All real quotes from real people. And by no means ‘bad’ people. A lot of them seemingly supportive in most other circumstances. 

And it gets more complicated when you step back further. There is both a general assumption and judgement around women becoming / being mothers.

The assumptions can include that this new status will negatively impact their abilities to contribute effectively and flexibly towards their work, that they will be the primary caregivers throughout their kids first few years and therefore not as keen to progress a career (especially without flexibility), that they wouldn’t want promotions etc. These often run in opposition to the debates around new dads, where the chat seemed more focused on these men having to secure promotions, higher wages, more work etc to support this new family of theirs (while the mamas managed the day-to-day).

The judgements fall into similar categories; women who appeared to throw themselves back into work frequently had whispers (or outright questions) around who was looking after their kids, or told they were lucky to have such supportive partners. Similarly men who left early for childcare commitments were often praised whereas women doing the same often cause negative comments amongst other staff / management (he’s such a good dad v she’s leaving early again for the kids).

Again, it is vital to note this is NOT a rule that applies everywhere. I was fortunate to have had a very positive experience overall during my first pregnancy, and a lot of scattered positives during my second. But the reality remains that this is not the norm.

I have had friends who have been let go during pregnancy, who have struggled with everything from workplace bullying to losing out on promotions due to either pregnancy or motherhood. And have heard plenty of commentary around the issues with hiring women of a certain age who might consider having kids.

The current campaign is important, and every story matters. Also, if you are an employer? Consider hiring more moms and moms to be. In the long term they often provide incredibly productive, impactful, efficient, and organised work within the shortest time frames.

To share your story, use the hashtags #endthemotherhoodpenalty and #pregnantthenscrewed on Instagram, and do check out Joeli’s brilliant work!