Working mothers are still struggling; here’s how employers can support them

Meena Kotwal a Dalit journalist from New Delhi turned heads when she marched alongside Rahul Gandhi with a mic in one hand and her baby in another The young mother did not waver as she kept pace with Gandhi while interviewing him on lsquoBharat Jodo Yatrarsquo Her spirit was celebrated on Twitter and her conduct was endorsed as lsquoAn absolute visionrsquo for young working mothers at workMeena Kotwal interviewing Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Jodo Yatra Photo Courtesy MooknayakIn another instance Prashansak a 10weekold toddler had his first political dayout at the Maharashtra assemblyrsquos winter session New mother Saroj Babulal Ahire a Nationalist Congress Party MLA from Deolali emerged as a trailblazer when she stepped in at the states highest lawmaking institution with her infant wrapped in a blanketUndoubtedly mothers are a resilient breed The manoeuvre pulled by Saroj manifested into a creche centre named lsquoHirkani Roomrsquo at the state legislative office As per the National Creche Scheme for the Children of Working Mothers ldquoA cregraveche is a facility which enables parents to leave their children while they are at work The space is meant to nurture infants and provide a stimulating environment for their holistic developmentrdquoSaroj Ahire at Maharashtras state legislative assembly with her 10weekold toddler Photo Courtesy Midday File PicWhile the lsquoHirkani Roomrsquo at the Maharashtra legislature office is a small step towards empowering young mothers many women continue to drop out of the workforce as a penalty for motherhood Such is the case of Mehez Khan 33 who had to resign from her job after giving birth to her daughterIn a telephonic conversation with Midday Khan shares ldquoIt was a difficult decision to quit my job as a financial analyst at a Mumbaibased firm in August 2022 My daughter was almost six months old and needed intimate care and attention With no creche facility at the workplace it became tough to take care of her Had I received help from my husband and inlaws things would have worked out differentlyrdquoThe 32yearold aspires to work again after four years but fears that the halt will render her uncompetitive ldquoThe financial regulations get updated frequently and in order to bridge the gap I will have to learn a lotrdquo Like Khan scores of women quit working to deal with motherhood and childcare responsibilitiesAccording to the World Bank report released in June 2022 Indian womenrsquos labour force participation stood at 307 per cent in 2006 which has been steadily declining to reach a new low of 192 per cent in 2021 Recent research combines this data to reveal that patriarchal oppressions and structural barriers at the workplace deter young mothersrsquo participation in the economyAdditionally the past few decades have shown a rapid increase in nuclear families and the breaking up of the joint family system Thus the children of working women who were earlier getting support from relatives and neighbours have now become the sole responsibility of mothersA recent survey conducted by LinkedIn revealed that 31 per cent Indian working mothers were providing fulltime childcare in comparison to 17 per cent working fathers Photo Courtesy iStockMore than 44 per cent women were also working outside their business hours to provide childcare nearly twice as many as the figure for men at 25 per cent Around 42 per cent reported being unable to focus on work with children at home and 46 per cent worked till late to make up for the pending tasks The apathy is real and goes unaddressed forcing young moms into stressful working conditionsMidday Online spoke to Priyanka Mehandiratta founder and CEO of Unmute an initiative that empowers women to voice their opinions and become future leaders She shares ldquo54000 pregnant women and new mothers are pushed out of their jobs each year and 77 per cent of working mothers experience some form of discrimination in the workplace It doesnrsquot end here companies are even going ahead and laying them off while they are on maternity leave Any woman who has encountered this will attest to the fact of how inhuman this feelsrdquoPlay Quiz Can you identify these popular mothers in IndiaResonating with Priyankarsquos stance Sunpreet Kesarwani shares how she was mentally harassed at the workplace when she revealed her pregnancy to HR She recounts the horrific episodes that led her to resign from a Gurugrambased technology firm where she worked as the product manager In a conversation with Midday Kesarwani recalls the events that led to her resignation ldquoOne fine day during appraisals the HR called me to tell me that I am being promoted I was elated to hear the newsrdquoHowever things went down a slippery slope after 15 days when Sunpreet found out about her pregnancy ldquoFirst three months are usually really hard in pregnancy you puke a lot and you can barely get out of bed My colleagues cautioned me against sharing the news with HR However I went ahead and revealed my pregnancy to the HR and what followed was a dreadful period of torture and gaslightingrdquoAt first HR cancelled her promotion without prior information which shocked Sunpreet but she didnrsquot rebel Then came the micromanagement phase when her activities began to be tightly monitored Whether she was at her desk or on a break she was being spied on This went on for a few days till the HR called her to propose an offer1 We will not pay you for the maternity leave2 For the days that you work postdelivery we will pay 50 per cent of your basic salary3 No Provident Fund shall be transferred to youldquoTake it or leave itrdquo were the words that threw Sunpreet into a frenzy and she decided to stand up to the discriminatory behaviour She denied the offer and left the job to take care of her baby What jolted our conscience is the fact that the HR head and HR manager were both womenSunpreet gave birth to her son and is now on a selfdevelopment journey while working a fulltime corporate job in Gurugram Photo Courtesy Sunpreet KLike Sunpreet many women experience bullying and harassment at the workplace which strips them of their confidence and selfworth Getting pregnant not only threatens careers but also induces stress Priyanka shares with us how the disparity can be addressed to create a conducive environment at the workplace for young mothersWays employers can support young working mothersCreche at the workplace Mothers will work and continue to bear children Installing creche at the workplace will ensure care for their children thereby taking off a few responsibilities that mothers shoulder The creche facilities have been mandated by the government to provide care for children up to 6 years If onsite creches have limited seats children can be put on a waiting list beforehand to secure a seatStreamlining benefits for working moms Arguably the most important step is to make the benefits process easier Parental benefits like paid maternity leave child care assistance miscarriage leaves are some of the benefits that can help to retain talent in the organisation HR must be nudged to focus on childcare benefits with just as much focus as healthcareFlexible work schedules The need to adopt flexible working hours is a practical module now more than ever As young mothers juggle between official and motherly duties they can be given the leverage of flexible work hours It is no longer a perk but a necessity to attract and retain top talent within the organisationNormalising paternity leave Bringing up a child is a prerogative of both parents Restricting mothers to child rearing is an ageold practice that limits the working capacity of women Employers must step in to break the barriers and allow fathers to take time off and attend to their childrenCreate support networks This may sound obvious but young mothers need help especially if they are firsttime mums Employers need to develop internal support groups which provide practical solutions that mothers face during pre and postnatal stages Support groups can also empower young working women to voice concerns in case of any discrimination or disparity that they may face at the workplaceTrain managers to be empathetic Managers need to learn the power of empathy to make their employees feel valued and respected They must ask pregnant employees about how they like to be supported in their careers It also entails accepting potential fluctuations that may occur during pregnancy Care must be taken to not pressure pregnant or young mothers with excessive work else it is a path to early burnoutAlso Read International Womenrsquos Day 2023 5 female CEOs and founders talk about challenges celebrations and paving the way