Four ways to support working mothers
March 12, 2023, marks National Working Mothers Day. With working mothers making up 32% of all employed women, the U.S. has a long way to go in providing the kind of support families need.
Here are four main areas for improvement in supporting working mothers:
Support pregnant and nursing people
Creating a supportive and inclusive environment for people who are pregnant or nursing, regardless of their gender, means recognizing the need for – and right to – accommodations. While pregnant, a person may need additional breaks and flexibility in their work schedule for medical appointments. Their workstation might need adjustments, too; for example, a cashier could need a stool to sit on, and a desk worker the ability to switch position from sitting to standing throughout the day. If a person chooses to pump breast milk, they need a safe, private, and comfortable place to do that. The federal government recognizes that need with the PU, 2022 legislation that expands the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Expand parental leave
Old “maternity leave” norms perpetuate the expectation that the person who gives birth will also be the primary caregiver for a new child – and that the birthing parent will identify as a woman. A more flexible approach recognizes that families come in many different shapes and have different needs. Adoptive parents need time off when they expand their families. Some men want to be primary caregivers, or to share childcare responsibilities equally with their partners, whatever the partner’s gender. Companies and legislators can structure leave policies to reflect this variety and allow families to make the choices that are best for them.
Make childcare affordable and available
During the first two years of the COVID pandemic, more than 2 million women left the workforce, according to the Society for Human Resources Management. The main cause was having to take care of young children as both schools and childcare facilities shut down. This crisis shed light on a host of issues surrounding childcare, including low pay for childcare workers, overwhelmingly women of color with children of their own, and the high cost of childcare, which can eat up most of a dual-income family’s second income. Now, even families who can pay are scrambling to find options in some communities.
Establish pay equity for women
It’s a vicious cycle: the presumption that women will have children, and that they’ll be the primary caregiver when they do, has served as a justification for paying women less than men and for denying women leadership opportunities. And this assumption affects every household where one or more of the workers is a woman. When women’s wages are lower, a family might prioritize the man’s job prospects, regardless of their preferences for childcare arrangements. Single mothers struggle to keep up, and single women fall behind in saving for retirement. Lesbian couples earn less money than gay-male couples or mixed-sex couples, even though 24% of their households include children.
Juggling work and parenting? A peer counselor can help you address your challenges and sort through the options to help your family thrive.
*Note: Empower Work provides non-legal support for workplace challenges. This information, while authoritative, is not legal advice or guaranteed for legality. Employment laws and regulations vary by state. We recommend consulting with state resources for specific interpretation and decisions. If you believe you were discriminated against in violation of the law, we recommend you seek legal advice.
