How Maternity Affects Career Growth

 

How Maternity Affects Career Growth

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Do you worry about how being pregnant or becoming a parent will affect your work life?

It’s the big question many women wonder about when they’re pregnant or considering whether to try for a family. “How will being pregnant and having a baby affect my career?” And it’s completely normal to think about this. Especially when we know that having children is a big factor in the gender pay gap.

The honest answer is that the evidence suggests becoming a mother does affect a woman’s career. But there are various reasons why this happens. 

Research shows that women are more likely to reduce their working hours after becoming a parent, even if they were the higher earner before.  This seems to be because women’s attitudes change when they become parents. 

Equalists and opportunists would love to argue that a woman is always in charge of her life in the present world. But most parts of her life denote otherwise. Many types of research say that women are given lesser responsibilities and are not treated the same before they went on their maternity leaves. The 6-month gap acts as a standing halt in their workspace.

Workplaces are high, demanding cultures where employees are required to do their work swiftly and promptly. To meet market expectations, employees are always in a rush to do their daily work. So, in such instances, returning to the workplace can seem scary for a new mother who missed out on many things.

Women from across industries face challenges when they get back to work after their long, much-need maternity break. What’s most astonishing in these circumstances is that women even face discrimination because of the profession they are in, for taking a maternity break.

If you choose to return to work on a reduced number of hours, it might affect how quickly you make the jump to your dream job. In one study, it was found that 26% of men as against 13% of women were promoted or upgraded their jobs within five years of having a child.

To achieve a balance, parents often ask their existing employer if they can change to part-time working hours, they request flexible working hours or they look for new part-time roles. Other parents might be able to go freelance and balance their work with home life that way.

If you do decide to head back to work full time, you’ll need to work out what childcare arrangements will accommodate your working hours. You might also need to think about how you’ll deal with any travel or overtime that might come up. Then there’s arranging to breastfeed when you go back to work if that’s how you’re feeding your baby.

It’s important to understand that they have also had a large life change. New mothers try their best to adapt to all the new circumstances without even batting an eye. At Counsel Quest, we understand the challenges faced by a woman in her career growth due to maternity and that this discrimination should be should be taken into account and appropriate and much required changes should be made to ensure that a woman’s career growth should not be hindered because of pregnancy. Maternity and career growth is a serious issue in our society and it must be addressed.

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