For a certain group of mothers, motherhood spells joy as well as something to be balanced with work ambition. These are not just working mothers. These are first-time mothers and mothers with young children, who are also reaching the peak of their careers.
Among developed countries around the world, women are choosing to have babies later to focus on their careers. Singapore is no exception, with the median age of first-time mothers at 30.3 years old. More women are also giving birth in their 40s.
According to compensation research firm PayScale, graduate women’s salaries steadily increase after the age of 22 and peak at the age of 41. So, what do these statistics mean? Essentially, working women are having babies at around the same time that their careers and salaries are growing.
For instance, at the age of 35, a first-time mother will find herself juggling between the caregiving duties for a baby as well as the increased workload and demands of a high-ranking job. It becomes difficult to reconcile these two roles as mothers face higher time-based, strain-based, and behavioural-based conflict. These types of conflict are exacerbated when there are other young children to be raised in the household as well.
Mothers at the height of their careers have less time to perform both their work and family roles, when paradoxically, this is the period when they need time the most. Quite a number of them (43 per cent) do not believe that they can have “the best of both worlds” and choose to drop out of the workforce in their 30s or 40s.
Worries about pregnancy discrimination
Anecdotally, I have heard of female employees delaying the announcement of their pregnancies at work as they are worried that they might be overlooked for promotions or important projects prior to their maternity leave. Some are also worried about being treated differently once they return to work. This is in spite of regulations and policies in place aimed to protect these employees from pregnancy-related discrimination.
Working mothers are disproportionately affected by daycare closures
A 2016 report by recruitment consultancy firm Robert Walters reported that 65 per cent of women in Asia have taken a career break at some point in their lives.
In the United States, a poll of 3,000 working parents by LinkedIn and Censuswide found that 49 per cent of women take an extended maternity break for about two years. One of the reasons cited was that it is more cost-effective to stay home and care for their children than pay for daycare.
With the closures of daycare centres due to the pandemic, working moms are those taking the brunt. Mothers bear most of the responsibility for home-based learning, and women are three times more likely than men to take leave from their jobs or quit altogether to stay at home for their children, according to recent research by the U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Reserve.
Difficult return to work
There are multiple reports and studies highlighting the difficulties mothers face when returning to work. The report by Robert Walters said that 35 per cent of employers in Asia saw less than 5 per cent of returning women being offered a more senior or even similar role in their company, compared to their roles before they left the workforce.
When working mothers do find employment, some challenges they face include judgement from supervisors and colleagues when they need to leave to fetch their children from daycare, or when there is a child-related emergency. At the same time, about four in 10 parents are afraid of being penalised if they were to take advantage of family-friendly policies offered by the organisation, and about 40 per cent of mothers say they must hide their caregiving struggles from their colleagues, according to a study by Catalyst and CNBC in September 2020.
New mothers = new fathers
Recognising that new mothers also mean new fathers is a first step. PayScale reported that men’s salaries continue increasing more than a decade after women’s salaries stopped peaking, even though first-time fathers tend to be only a couple of years older than first-time mothers.
By recognising that fathers also play an active role in the upbringing and development of their children, organisations can exercise empathy to both genders – encouraging this socially important function without worries related to career progression.
Safe environment at work
At the company level, it is important to cultivate an atmosphere where employees feel safe announcing that they will be expecting.
I interviewed a senior manager of a multinational company who had her firstborn four months ago at the age of 34. She informed her boss of her pregnancy soon after the first trimester as she had excellent relationships with her supervisor and colleagues, and she was certain that they would be supportive.
Building good relationships and trust at the workplace allows expecting mothers to be transparent without worrying about potential repercussions. Not only is this beneficial for employees’ mental well-being, but the company stands to benefit too, as there is plenty of lead time to plan for the necessary transitions and handovers.
It takes a village to raise a child
Beyond being supportive of pregnant employees, companies should extend this type of support to when parents care for their children in their early years.
At this juncture, it is important to note that a safe environment goes beyond ‘lip service’ and having family-friendly policies in place. Offering subsidised or free childcare services and added childcare leave for parents may not be effective when employees fear judgement – or worse, termination – should they take up these offers.
Similar results relating to telecommuting policies pre-pandemic have been found, where the perceived importance of presenteeism discourage workers to work virtually. Especially when these parents of young children are at the height of the career, there is indeed a lot to lose if they appear to be choosing family over their jobs.
But why can’t we have both? Deliverables can still be finished by a certain deadline if working parents are given the autonomy to decide when and how they finish their work tasks. Well-planned meetings to discuss important issues can still be held before parents need to leave work to pick up their children from daycare.
The mental burden of caregiving can be lightened if colleagues offer a listening ear and show solidarity. Like my interviewee said, “It takes a village to raise children, but not only at home. Support at the office from my bosses and colleagues was vital too.”
So no, supporting working mothers does not mean that other team members will have to cover for them or do extra work. It comes in the form of collegiality by being genuinely empathetic and having enough trust and transparency at the workplace to allow for employees to reach greater heights in the multiple roles they hold at work and at home.
Let us work towards giving working mothers peace of mind by consciously creating an environment that is safe and supportive and letting them know that it is, indeed, possible to have the best of both worlds.