Meghan Markle is speaking out in support of working moms.
On Wednesday 11 May, the Duchess of Sussex joined the Marshall Plan for Moms to announce a “National Business Coalition for Child Care” in the efforts of expanding child care support for workers. The Marshall Plan for Moms is a non-profit organisation that advocates for policies financially benefiting working mothers in the wake of the pandemic.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation joins leading organisations such as Care.com and Patagonia in a “pledge to pursue solutions that equitably provide child care support for employees”.
“Families everywhere, and especially working moms, are asked to shoulder so much,” said the mom of two and co-founder of Archewell. “This has only been heightened by the pandemic, with increased caregiving responsibilities, rising prices, and economic uncertainty. As it’s been said many times, it takes a village to raise a child.”
“Today, we’re sending a message that childcare isn’t just a community imperative—it’s a business imperative,” she added. “Creating a stronger workforce starts with meeting the needs of families.”
According to a report compiled by Marshall Plan for Moms in partnership with McKinsey & Company, expanding child care benefits is an important deciding factor for working women in their job search, and 69 per cent of women with children under five are more likely to choose an employer that offered on-site child care or benefits to help pay for child care.
Meghan Markle has been a longtime advocate for working parents. In October 2021, the duchess wrote an open letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging them to support paid parental leave.
In the letter, the duchess detailed her humble upbringing, and working at a local yogurt shop at age 13 to “make ends meet”. Markle noted that her story is much like many other Americans who are “forced to shortchange themselves when it comes to what matters to them”.
“Paid leave should be a national right, rather than a patchwork option limited to those whose employers have policies in place, or those who live in one of the few states where a leave program exists,” Markle said. “If we’re going to create a new era of family first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave program for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty.”
“In June, my husband and I welcomed our second child,” Markle continued. “Like fewer parents, we weren’t confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work. We knew we could take her home, and in that vital (and sacred) stage, devote any and everything to our kids and to our family. We knew that by doing so we wouldn’t have to make impossible choices about childcare, work, and medical care that so many have to make every single day.”
The couple welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana, on 4 June 2021. Prince Harry and Meghan took 20 weeks of parental leave, in accordance with the policies of their Archewell Foundation. The pair are also parents to their three-year-old son, Archie Harrison.
