In India, a majority of women tend to leave their jobs after becoming mothers, and this trend has been exacerbated in recent years, particularly due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To address this issue, organizations must cultivate awareness about the challenges faced by working mothers throughout their career and provide tailored support at each stage.
Research highlights numerous benefits that working mothers bring to the table, such as enhanced productivity, commitment, resilience, loyalty, unique perspectives, and valuable multitasking, time management, and problem-solving skills.
Despite these advantages, working mothers often feel undervalued, primarily due to a lack of support for the different phases of their professional and personal lives.
Workplaces have not yet adjusted to the non-linear career paths of women, which differ from the uninterrupted, linear paths typically followed by men.
Consequently, women encounter professional hurdles alongside their personal struggles. To effectively support working mothers, organizations need to be mindful of three crucial phases in their career and personal journeys.
Phase One: Early-Mid Career Professionals (25-35 years)
During this stage, women experience pregnancy, maternity, and childbirth, along with potential challenges related to infertility. Returning to work after childbirth brings the need to balance multiple responsibilities and the guilt associated with being a new mother while maintaining professional commitments.
Maternity breaks or extended career breaks can significantly impact a woman’s career trajectory. New mothers often face limited access to the same opportunities they had before and may feel left behind. Demotivation sets in when they are not considered for challenging roles or assignments. This period also prompts many women to question and adjust their level of ambition.
To effectively support women in this phase, organizations should establish family-friendly policies for all working parents, evaluate performance based on deliverables rather than mere “face-time,” and sensitize managers to create nurturing and inclusive environments.
Encouraging young mothers to pursue diverse developmental experiences, such as leading high-profile projects or undertaking international assignments, and charting out aspirational career paths are crucial to preserving their ambition.
Phase Two: Mid-Senior Career Professionals (35-45 years)
Balancing work and personal life becomes particularly challenging at this stage of advanced mid-career. Caregiving responsibilities for children and aging parents become more demanding, while middle-management positions often require longer hours, travel, or inflexible schedules. Working mothers in this phase may neglect their own well-being, leading to burnout.
Additionally, they face biases, encounter the glass ceiling, and may experience unfair practices, such as being overlooked for promotions or receiving lower salaries compared to their male counterparts. This unfair treatment can create frustration and diminish motivation.
Organizations need to ensure that working parents have the freedom to take time off for caregiving without facing penalties. They must also establish true meritocracy, fair assessments, and unbiased rewards, while providing formal and informal support through mentors and sponsors who guide women’s career decisions.
Phase Three: Late-Career Professionals (45+ years)
In the late-career stage, women contend with health challenges related to menopause, which can adversely affect productivity through symptoms like hot flashes, sleep problems and weight gain. Psychological discomfort, such as mood changes, depression, irritability, and decreased concentration, further compound these difficulties.
Additionally, women face increasing responsibilities towards aging and ailing parents, potentially involving the loss of loved ones. The “empty nest syndrome” also adds to their emotional burden as children leave home.
Professionally, senior women may feel isolated as fewer women occupy top leadership positions. The lack of mentors to guide them through challenges, including proving their competence and expressing an authentic leadership style, intensifies this sense of loneliness. Boards and senior executives may question or critique a more “feminine” leadership style, affecting women’s confidence and performance as leaders.
Organizations should ensure that women have the freedom to lead authentically and not feel pressured to conform to prevailing leadership models. They should also establish support networks of coaches, mentors, and sponsors to facilitate women’s effectiveness in their roles.
Encouraging women leaders to mentor others and rewarding them for their efforts would further promote a supportive environment. Prioritizing emotional and mental well-being throughout all stages of a woman’s career is crucial, with particular emphasis on this aspect during the late-career phase.
It is essential to reinforce our commitment to supporting and celebrating working mothers in the workplace. By mindfully providing the right level of support during different phases of their professional and personal journey, organizations can gain a competitive edge in attracting and retaining working mothers. Ultimately, this approach will enable more women to contribute their talents and efforts more significantly.
