New mums, same old working practices: time for change

New mothers are struggling. Society now expects them to raise a baby, go to work and take on the mental load. However, the main offering is precarious working conditions coupled with leaders who are unable to empathise. It begs the question: are employers doing everything they can to support these women?

As a woman without children, I hadn’t considered working life after a baby. After all, I currently have the flexibility to work early mornings, late nights and I never have to rush off to tend to a sick child. Rightly or wrongly, in the eyes of my employer, I am the ideal employee. But what happens when this changes and suddenly there’s a whole new priority? Holding the mirror up to employers won’t be comfortable for them, but the truth is these women are often treated unfairly.  

There is a whole sea of new mothers living in precarity. They are vulnerable and seeking stability, yet they are being offered low paid, or zero hours contracts; without consideration as to how they will afford and arrange consistent childcare. An ONS report outlined that 54.7 percent of respondents working on zero-hours contracts were women (People Management, 2018), and according to the Resolution Foundation, around 22% of women are in low-paid work, compared to 14% of men (D’Arcy, C. 2018). Couple this with the fact that 80% of managerial positions are occupied by men (The Guardian, 2017) and the outlook for women begins to look quite poor. 

I interviewed one parent facing this every day. Anna* left her previous role after falling pregnant, and since having her baby has had to take up a zero-hour contract to help look after her son and give herself independence. When asked what she really wanted to do, she said “I’d love to be a teacher – I used to work as a nursery assistant, but then I had a baby. As they didn’t provide any maternity cover, I left. I’ve found it very hard to get back into it. I find that employers aren’t very keen – especially when you must work part time. They prefer someone that can work long hours and be on hand when you need them.” Anna is lucky that she has her mother is on hand to look after her son when she goes to work. With her hours ranging from 2-20 each week she explained that this meant she couldn’t assure that her son would be able to go to nursery because some wouldn’t be available at a weeks’ notice.

We understand that employers cannot be solely blamed for these issues, and often their hand is forced as they cannot afford to provide workers with permanent, stable contracts. The government need to enforce more supportive policies and trade unions need to be stronger to provide a driving force, but changes can be made here and now. Evidence shows 34 per cent of workers on zero-hour contracts do not qualify for statutory sick pay (Tuc.org.uk. 2020). Anna cannot take paid time out for her son if he’s sick, and her employer can choose to terminate her contract at any given moment.

It’s clear that we have not moved far enough away from archaic working practices, emphasised by the fact that these women’s ambitions are often being firmly quashed. When asked if she could see herself moving into a senior position, Anna said that “I don’t feel like I could, no. My contract is very limited now and my tasks don’t give me the range I need to get into a more senior position, nor am I really there long enough to prove what I can do.” Which leads us to ask, why can’t these companies turn to complex leadership rather than focusing solely on production as a form of success?

Women like Anna deserve the opportunity to learn, create and forge their own way into more senior positions. Complex leadership theory is to create structures and conditions for creativity, problem-solving and learning (B329, Open University). It is not merely the influential act of one person, but rather a collective. This includes changing habits such as seeing new mums as fully capable employees and fostering adaptability which will give women like Anna the skills to not only lead but bring their company success.

It’s excellent that more women are moving into senior positions in today’s society, but sadly, it is evident that we have not come as far as we should have. On behalf of all new mums, we ask that employers start thinking outside the box. These individuals are not just a cog in a machine. They deserve a job with appropriate benefits, emotional support, and the opportunity to grow and lead. Without this chance, they cannot demonstrate their value, which may well surprise you. For as Bosa Seble said “There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.”

(*name changed for confidentiality)