This podcast transcript from January is a great illustration of the reality of becoming a working mother. A few key themes stood out to me when I read it.

Assumptions can have a negative impact

First up is the assumptions that are made about women who have children. Janine Chamberlin talks about how it was assumed that she wouldn’t want to do international travel because she now had a baby, yet actually she was really interested in having the opportunity to do so. This is so common – a line manager has the best of intentions, but without realising it, negatively impacts on the new mother’s career ambitions. Women so often return to work concerned that they have somehow lost their work selves, their confidence is hampered by lack of sleep and their changed priorities and outlook on life can lead to feelings of anxiety. Offering line managers training and guidance on how best to support working parents can make a huge difference to a successful return.

Women are often not aware of what Maternity Coaching can do for them

Sarah O’Connor talked about the maternity coaching sessions she was offered at the FT when she returned after having a baby, and the way she described it was beautifully honest. She says “I was a bit sceptical about it, to begin with. I wasn’t really sure what on earth she could say that would be helpful”.

This is so true! Many women have not experienced coaching before, and so when the possibility of maternity coaching is offered they don’t know what to expect or even how it could possibly help. Yet, Sarah found that her coach “listened deeply” and was able to offer her support, which meant she was able to find a “different sense of confidence” when she came back to work. This emphasises the importance of organisations being really clear about what maternity coaching is and how it can make a difference.

We always offer introductory calls so that each of our clients has the opportunity to meet their coach and discuss what the coaching involves before they start working together. The relationship between coach and client is vitally important in all coaching engagements, but in maternity coaching, I’d argue it is especially key because the work is taking place at a time in a woman’s life when she may be feeling particularly vulnerable.

“Greedy jobs” can be a challenge for working parents

The other point I wanted to draw attention to from this podcast episode is the concept of the ‘greedy job’ – a term popularised by an economist at Harvard called Claudia Golden. I’d not come across this before, but it is a great way of describing jobs that demand a lot of your time. For working parents, greedy jobs can be a challenge – for both parents to have greedy jobs is not compatible with having a child. Making choices about who gets to do the greedy job and therefore earn more and potentially progress further is a difficult reality for many couples, and can lead to resentment and compromises that can have far-reaching consequences.

Coaching and supportive line managers can make a huge difference

As the podcast concludes, pregnancy and maternity leave and coming back to work are such pivotal moments in any woman’s career. However, it is crucially important to support women in their careers when they get back to work – and this is where coaching and supportive line managers can make such a difference.

If any of these topics resonate with you and you’d like to discuss how we might support you or your organisation with maternity or parental coaching please do get in touch.