We Need to Talk About the New Era of Working Motherhood

Since the onset of the pandemic, nearly 2.3 million women have left the workforce. Of these women, a recent study found that 42 percent of them had children under the age of 2. This is having a major impact on the American workforce as working moms held 50.04 percent of all jobs in the US in 2020. The bottom line is that moms are doing too much with too little support. Working moms continue to bear the burden of pandemic-related hardships, while also being essential employees, and juggling the various roles of motherhood–mom, teacher, chef, life planner, chauffeur, house cleaner–the list goes on.

But this isn’t a new dynamic. Moms have always been the ones to take care of the mental load disproportionately, but the pandemic has certainly exacerbated working moms’ struggles, with an especially significant increase in time spent caring for kids during the workday. It’s true that women are expert multi-taskers, but the pandemic has meant increasing levels of burnout for moms everywhere. And after the world-shifting year we’ve had, our voices are getting louder, movements like the Marshall Plan for Moms are gaining momentum–and more companies are starting to listen. But we still have a ways to go for real change.

Working Moms Needs to be Heard

Since working moms make up nearly half of the workforce in the US, investing in them is not only the “right” thing to do, but it just makes good business sense.

Working motherhood was hard enough pre-pandemic, but now being on Zooms all day while navigating my 4-year-old is a whole new level of chaos. And I’m one of the lucky ones–I have child care, a flexible schedule, and a supportive workplace. Unfortunately, that’s not the norm. And so, moms are leaving the workforce and all the progress we’ve made so far feels like it’s being erased pretty much overnight. A she-cession, some economists are even calling it.

This absence leaves a void that is being felt across companies. Women play an integral role in any and all organizations. We offer a unique perspective with the diversity we bring to the table. But most importantly, being a mom gives you a special super power that they can’t teach in school or on the job. Working moms are efficient, collaborators, empathetic and they just cut to the chase–all traits of good leaders. Recent research from Bright Horizons reported that 91 percent of people surveyed said moms have leadership skills not found in other employees.

For the greater good and the good of our companies, we need to champion for our working moms–because we need them in positions of power for success.

But the Work Can’t Stop

So, where do we go from here? It’s crucial that companies be held accountable. They need to understand their responsibility to support and recognize the value of working moms. We need employers to rebuild the workplace with gender equity as part of the foundation. And culturally, we need to value women’s work, both in their careers and at home.

Companies must make it a priority to offer more resources for their parent employees. Resources such as accessible child care, flexible work hours and paid time off are crucial. Additionally, closing the pay gap, ending the motherhood penalty, and offering necessary mental health resources will change the landscape for working moms. But most importantly, companies need to listen and open their minds to change.

It literally takes a village, as they say–but the thing is, most moms don’t have a village. Employers need to do their part to create that village.

Sejal Hingrajia is the Head of Product Operations at Kinema, a new social cinema platform. With more than 15 years of experience in digital media products and advertising, Hingrajia is an established leader in digital media who has worked in both startup and Fortune 500 environments to launch products that intersect quality user experiences, premium storytelling, innovative technology, and brand partnerships. Prior to Kinema, Hingrajia led Product and Operations for the Lifestyles and Entertainment brands at Whalerock Industries and managed Customer Experience at Yahoo! Entertainment. She also launched the first engagement advertising platform at True[X] Media, a revolutionary platform that was not only the first of its kind, but later acquired by 21st Century Fox.