Working mums do not have it easy. According to the Working Mums website, 21% of us have faced workplace discrimination, six in ten of us feel our career options are limited post-baby, and 29% of us feel the need to regularly skip lunch breaks. And for what? The privilege of leaving early to watch our kids wee in the bath.
Fortunately, I’m employed by a company who recognises that, while my pelvic floor may no longer work, that doesn’t mean I can’t.
But many women in marketing, especially on the agency side, are not so lucky, particularly when you look at flexible working options. A recent quick search of the Guardian Jobs section online revealed that of the 2,256 marketing and PR jobs available, only 27 were part-time and 80% of those were in London.
So why are employers so short-sighted? Yes, there are certain adjustments that need to be made to accommodate working mums, but I’d argue that many mothers return from maternity leave better able to deal with the challenges of work. For a start, we are immensely grateful to just get out of the house. There are only so many times you can sing “The Wheels on the Bus” without wanting to throw yourself under one. With gratitude comes loyalty, so given all of that time and training that businesses invested in us, they get to reap the dividends.
Second, we have new-found powers of financial control. The poverty line in the UK is roughly £250 per week. Statutory maternity pay is £138.18 per week, so sticking to a £250,000 budget for a campaign is child’s play.
We are also incredible multi-taskers. You try wrestling a writhing child into tights while preparing sandwiches and renegotiating the terms of your mortgage with the bank manager – and then still making it to work on time. “To do” lists? A doddle by comparison.
Another thing: our negotiation skills increase exponentially when we have kids. Children turn into hurricanes of snot and tears capable of wiping out entire supermarkets if their demands are not met. Even feeding them requires the conflict resolution skills of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. So if you need someone to speak to that awkward bloke in procurement, leave it to us.
Of course, I’m being facetious, but the theory is sound. The number of women graduating from university is greater than the number of men, and the gap is widening. Rather than face a continual leeching of their skills and expertise from industries like ours, we must ensure those succumbing to their future reproductive urges can find a valued role in the marketing workplace.
Of course, for employers and working mums alike, it’s a balancing act. We have to be careful to avoid a “cult of motherhood” that penalises our less child-challenged colleagues. It will also be interesting to see how the new legislation around shared parental leave impacts the treatment of working parents. If dads opt to take 50 weeks off with their new baby, will they be subject to the same undercurrent of discrimination, or will they be welcomed back with open arms?
Ideally, we would live in a world where there are flexible working practices for all of us, regardless of what we click in the drop-down box of “number of children”. So while I apply to take the afternoon off to watch my kid’s nativity play, you can be off doing something equally enjoyable – like a trip to the dentists or beating yourself about the face and neck with a blunt instrument.
More on diversity brought to you by the Marketing Agencies Association
• Diversity in agencies: how and why we ‘do different’
• Diversity in agencies: the benefits of an international outlook
• Diversity in agencies: exploring the idea of ‘doing different’
Find out more about the main theme of this year’s Best Awards: #dodifferent
Sal Thomas is a creative planner at Blue Chip
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