On Mother’s Day, we normally hear sweet, heartwarming stories about mothers – how they are selfless and, when circumstances arise, willing to turn into ‘supermums’ for their families. However, underneath the tale of love lies untold secrets of sacrifices made in the name of motherhood.
As the world spins and sways according to patriarchal capitalism, being a mom means different things. It can be “loss of career,” as some are pressured to take up the burdens of caregiving – a traditional, gendered role intimately attached to womanhood. On a global scale, women contribute to 56% of the labour force. Although the rate of labour force participation of women vary across regions, numbers of women in couple or extended-family households are significantly lower than women in lone-person households, indicating that women are forced to forfeit their career opportunities once they have children. The gender gap in labour force participation continues to grow, and in the pandemic-stricken world, the number of women with careers or seeking employment is in noticeable decline.
On the other hand, motherhood can also mean picking up “the second shift.” Women who become the main breadwinner of their families are expected to manage caregiving tasks – such as childcare, eldercare, and household chores – after work. This creates a situation where accumulated fatigue plunges women into a mental health crisis, while domestic responsibilities add massive weight to their career advancement.
Instead of sharing stories of mothers’ sacrifices on this Mother’s Day, perhaps we should imagine a world where no one is forced to abandon the life they led before in order to embrace motherhood? How can we do better for working mothers?
1) Create and reinforce a supportive environment for employed mothers.
Reports from South Korea and India show that working mothers struggle to retain or find employment after childbirth, as they face “motherhood penalty,” or discrimination against caregivers. Their challenges range from misogynistic attitudes that reduce working mothers to a company’s ‘liability’ and ‘ineffective workers,’ to inability to use child care/parental leave.
Claire Cain Miller, New York Times Reporter on gender and the future of work, notes that an organisational culture that supports and responds to working mothers’ needs plays a crucial role in this matter. Instead of enforcing punitive measures against those who are struggling with the career-home juggle, the management should take into account their employees’ situation, and provide career opportunities for those who once left the industry for caregiving.
Sanofi Italy, for example, is one of the companies that provides orientation programs specifically for returnees with maternal duties. In addition, the company also grants a possible extension of leave for working parents, until their children reach the age of majority.
2) Develop a flexible approach to work.
It was reported that working mothers in the supportive and understanding workplace were less inclined to quit the labour force. For example, work-life balance for parents and caregivers are recognized as social rights under the European Union. The idea is later adopted as the basis for flexible working arrangements, which are “the possibility for workers to adjust their working patterns, including through the use of remote working arrangements, flexible working schedules, or reduced working hours,” according to the Directive (EU) 2019/1158 – work-life balance for parents and carers. These measures are expected to bring women and those who assume the role of caregiver back to the labour market, as they allow more time off for care duties while guaranteeing employment for people with caregiving responsibilities.
3) Paid parental leave.
Paid and job-protected parental leave is one of the key protection mechanisms for working mothers. Although paid maternity leave is enforced in Thailand, its 98-day duration is criticised as insufficient for postpartum recovery, nor does it extend to cover parents who are not birth mothers.
At the United Nations, paid maternity leave policy is expanded into paid parental leave. All staff with parental duties will receive 16 weeks of paid time off. For birth mothers, policies for recovery time differ according to their professional conditions. On top of an additional 10-week leave, birth mothers in hardship duty stations are eligible to take their time off up to 32 weeks.