When Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin went into labour with her second child early, she was in the middle of grading her students含羞草研究社� work.
含羞草研究社淢y closest friend was telling me to go to the hospital. My partner was like, 含羞草研究社楲et含羞草研究社檚 go to the hospital,含羞草研究社� but I含羞草研究社檓 like, 含羞草研究社楴o, I have to finish this because once I have this baby, I don含羞草研究社檛 know how I含羞草研究社檓 going to do it,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 the Queen含羞草研究社檚 University associate professor recalled.
含羞草研究社淭his is how wild it can be sometimes because you don含羞草研究社檛 want to feel like oh, I含羞草研究社檓 not doing my work.含羞草研究社�
Adeniyi-Ogunyankin含羞草研究社檚 insistence on finishing her marking despite being on the cusp of one of her family含羞草研究社檚 most important moments was a product of the pressure she and other women feel when juggling motherhood and their careers.
The challenges they encounter form what some call a 含羞草研究社渕aternal wall:含羞草研究社� the ways that negative perceptions of mothers in the workforce can block opportunities for career advancement.
For many, the maternal wall crops up when employers and peers start to doubt their ability to do their jobs because they含羞草研究社檙e also raising kids.
A 2023 report from international non-profit Mothers in Science found one-third of women working in the sciences while raising children had their competence questioned by employers and colleagues after becoming a parent.
But the phenomenon is not contained to a particular field.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 shocking how prevalent it is,含羞草研究社� said Allison Venditti, founder of advocacy group Moms at Work.
You might assume there would be less of it in areas like health care, which have historically employed a higher number of women, but there are examples of it everywhere, she said.
It even affects women who aren含羞草研究社檛 pregnant and don含羞草研究社檛 have kids, Venditti said, because many see them as a 含羞草研究社渂reeding horse含羞草研究社� as soon they hit the typical child-bearing years.
含羞草研究社淧eople are looking at you going, 含羞草研究社業 wonder when she含羞草研究社檚 going to have a kid,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 Venditti said.
含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檝e had conversations with the human resources person when people are looking at layoffs and whatever and they含羞草研究社檙e like, 含羞草研究社榃ell, how many more good years does she have left?含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
If women have kids, Venditti said they are frequently become the 含羞草研究社渄efault含羞草研究社� for childcare and housework, but their employers often view these responsibilities as a distraction from work. If the demands of child-rearing become too steep, mothers are commonly expected to put their careers aside.
含羞草研究社淲hen couples are having these discussions about whose job to protect 含羞草研究社� they含羞草研究社檙e focusing on the person who含羞草研究社檚 making more money and that is predominantly men,含羞草研究社� Venditti said.
Statistics Canada found women between the ages of 25 and 54 earned 89 cents for every dollar made by men in 2021.
Those who take time off for caregiving often find the wage gap is even larger because their absence can affect seniority and the opportunities open to them.
Some companies are trying to help with the challenges of motherhood.
Apparel brand Patagonia, for example, provides workers with on-site child care at its headquarters and one of its distribution centres.
Consulting firm PwC offers maternity top-ups for birth mothers, financial support for parents who adopt children, fertility coverage and parental leave coaching aimed at helping workers focus on their family while away and then return to work with their long-term career goals in mind.
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research reimburses individuals with a dependent under the age of 12 for costs associated with childcare when it holds meetings.
However, Adeniyi-Ogunyankin still sees hurdles in areas like research travel.
含羞草研究社淚f you含羞草研究社檙e going to go away and do research, you can含羞草研究社檛 just go there for a week or two weeks in order to get something substantial,含羞草研究社� said Adeniyi-Ogunyankin, a CIFAR fellow who researches the politics of gender and neoliberal urbanism in two Nigerian cities.
含羞草研究社淭o understand the context, you need to be there for months at a time 含羞草研究社� so that becomes challenging when you have kids.含羞草研究社�
She含羞草研究社檚 contemplating what to do with her kids if she is able to travel to Nigeria. Plane tickets would cost $2,000 per child and she含羞草研究社檇 have to cover daycare fees to keep one of her kids from losing their spot.
But she含羞草研究社檚 made her career and child care work several times before.
When she was interviewing for a job while one of her children was a few months old, she heard a common refrain: don含羞草研究社檛 let people know you have a child.
含羞草研究社淚 decided not to do that,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚 was like, 含羞草研究社業 have a three-month-old, so you need to schedule some breaks in for me.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
She has brought her baby to presentations and dinners during the recruitment process. She figures it was more acceptable because she含羞草研究社檚 in the gender studies field, but still argues 含羞草研究社渨e don含羞草研究社檛 need to make that part of ourselves invisible.含羞草研究社�
Jessica Metcalf, a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar who teaches at Colorado State University, agrees. She strives to be a role model for others aspiring to pursue academia and have kids.
Doing both means sometimes making 含羞草研究社渉ard decisions含羞草研究社� because 含羞草研究社渢he reality is I can含羞草研究社檛 do everything,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淚 have to do in 40 hours a week, what some people have 50 or 60 hours a week to do,含羞草研究社� she said,noting she can含羞草研究社檛 catch up on work during the weekend because she has to care for her kids then.
含羞草研究社淚 always joke, if I was as efficient as I am now when I was in grad school, I would have finished in, like, half the time.含羞草研究社�
To manage the demands of work and motherhood, Metcalf hired a sleep consultant to smooth out her kids含羞草研究社� bedtime so she isn含羞草研究社檛 awoken several times in the night, and feverishly uses her calendar.
She sees signs that conditions are improving for working mothers. Her employer, for example, is exploring a pilot project which could offer financial support or temporary caregiving during research periods.
But supporting working moms can含羞草研究社檛 come solely from small policy changes, Venditti said. It has to come from companies含羞草研究社� operating ethos or from a new generation dramatically improving the work situation for the next one.
含羞草研究社淲hen women run companies, when people start companies because of the way they were treated, magic happens,含羞草研究社� she said.
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