If you need sh*t done, hire a mum!
The maternity bias is real, y’all. I see it every day amongst my clients: they’re being discriminated against in all sorts of subtle and not so subtle ways.
In my former country of living, Switzerland, women are routinely asked during interviews if they’re mothers and if so, how they’re planning to take care of their children during their working hours.
One of my clients was met with overt surprise when she mentioned to her boss she wanted to be considered for a certain stretch role, because with two little ones at home, he didn’t think she should take on such a thing?
Never mind that her male colleague – who ended up getting the job, despite objectively having lesser credentials – had small children too.
These aren’t anecdata, this isn’t just in our heads. The research bears it out, too. Take for example this study, in which participants evaluated application materials for a pair of same-gender, equally qualified job candidates who differed on their parental status.
The laboratory experiment found that mothers were penalized on a host of measures, including perceived competence and recommended starting salary. (By the way, to add insult to gender injury: men were not penalized for, and sometimes benefited from, being a parent. Read more over on this link.)
Here’s the thing, though. From my experience, mums make most excellent employees, and often better ones than their less-busy-but-higher-regarded-male peers. Like the old saying goes “Want something done? Ask a busy person!”, the same goes for working mums: precisely because they have to keep 100 balls in the air at any given moment, they are great at Doing. It. All.
Put simply: working mums are some of the most hardworking, creative and loyal peeps you’ll ever find.
They work hard because they have to.
They are creative because they have to be.
They are loyal beyond belief because they know that finding a boss that gives them a fair chance, is a rarity and they don’t take it for granted.
Seriously, if you need sh*t done, hire a working mum.
If you want more advice on how to get the best work out of your female workforce, PM me.
And if you’re a working mum, or have plans to be one, you can PM me to so we can help you communicate your badassery to your (future) employer.
Book a call with my team for a free coaching session and let’s see what we can do for you!