Even though there has been a documented growth and rising importance of women in the labor market in the last decade or so, several pregnant women and working mother face a host of obstacles in balancing their dual roles. There has been a lingering employer reticence to offer flexible schedules to new mothers even in the most developed countries. Several cases of workplace discrimination against new parents, especially mothers, have been witnessed in many offices as well. The news coverage of the magazine cover appearance of Audrey Gellman even highlighted certain statistics challenges working mothers.
Audrey Gellman discusses the type of discrimination new mothers tend to face at the workplace
Even though society has evolved considerably over the years, the notion that new mothers are not suitable for the workforce is still prevalent in many sections of society. In fact, the data present in the new coverage of Audrey’s magazine coverage itself that showed many people feel working mothers are not fully dedicated to their jobs. However, Audrey Gellman took that opportunity to make a statement for other mothers while underling the fact that one can always become pregnant and still fully participate in the workforce. She aimed at encouraging women to strive towards their professional goals, even after they become mothers. According to Audrey, motherhood should not be the full stop for the professional dreams of a woman, and they have the capability to balance and manage all the roles of their life beautifully.
Unfortunately, the mindset like Audrey is not present in several people. While equality and maternity legislation exists today, maternity still remains a major area where women face discrimination. There even are cases where women of child bearing age are discriminated against when it comes to recruitment decisions. Apart from this, pregnant employees or new mothers are also singled out for redundancy in several workplaces. The situations related to mishandling requests for flexible working upon returning from maternity leave are also common. All of these factors make it difficult for several women to continue with their professional career.
Being a woman, Audrey Gellman has been always emphatic towards these problems faced by new mothers. She has even founded ‘The Wing’, which basically is a women-focused co-working space that is designed to enable women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and expand their networks. After her interview was published, Audrey hoped that it would encourage more women to continue working after becoming mothers. She mentioned that as there are not many pregnant leaders visible within the business or broader media, women may not find the representation they need to be encouraged to continue their job while enjoying their maternity phase. This is one of the biggest reasons she shot her magazine cover in a black dress, while cradling an adorable “baby bump. Audrey hopes that the cover can inspire several other women who are pregnant or have newly become mothers to continue with their career, and not give up just because the society thinks that they should.