The Status Quo Should not be Surviving Motherhood it Should be Thriving

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Research can take you down some paths of eye opening data and when you dig into the reality of working parents in America its shocking how far our country has fallen short.

 To many the idea of just maintaining status quo has been working but the reality is its not. You look at the numbers and the lack of change in how we support working mothers vs. the percentage of working mothers in the workforce you see the glaring gap.

 Lets talk stats for a moment.

 In 2018 there were 33.6 million working families with a child 18 and under according to the US Department of Labor. 63% percent of these families were dual income families. 67% of mothers in general whether they were a one income family or dual income family with a child 3 and under WORKS!!! Comparatively in 1975 the number of working moms with a child under the age of three was 34.3%. 

 The number of working moms with a child 3 and under in the last 45 years has basically doubled. Yet the culture of how we support working moms has not made significant change. While I'm thrilled to see some big names making the effort in the private sector only 13% of working Americans are receiving PFL with only 7% to 8% of workers in services and maintenance jobs based on Glassdoor.

 Change is imperative lets go over why. According to Harvard Business Review the majority of the most successful companies report that exemplary benefit programs strengthen employee loyalty and morale.In California, virtually all employers (99 percent) reported that the state’s program had positive or neutral effects on employee morale.Likewise, several New Jersey employers noted that the state’s paid leave program helped reduce stress among employees and improve morale among employees who took leave and their co-workers.

 These stats just touch the very surface of this conversation. The reality is hiring employees is expensive costing about 1/5 of an employee’s salary. Supporting the retention of employees with not just PFL but programs that will allow working moms to transition back to work in a supportive environment only has gains such as diversity in leadership, stronger company culture, and higher individual performance.

 Ways you can support the change in your company if the support is not there right now. Just start with simple conversations. Start by talking with other working moms if they exist in your company (I recognize that this is difficult in male dominated industries), schedule a lunch with a leader who you know is a working mom, if you know a mom that is just returning back to work ask to take her to lunch, and most importantly if you are newly back at work the status quo should not be surviving it should be thriving so ask for what you need. Its okay to ask for what you need and above that Learning Motherhood has your community right here to support you.