New Mothers: Don’t Feel Guilty. Here is Why You SHOULD Go Back to Work
In my career that spans over two decades and consists of working in some of the large Indian corporate & MNC’s, I have faced the brunt of losing out some extremely efficient, skilled, and exceptional resources…not to competition but to motherhood. Yes, women, who form over 40% of the workforce are forced to leave their jobs once they gear up to take up perhaps an important role in their lives…that of a mother. Being a mother is certainly a rewarding experience for a woman. Motherhood means change, acceptance of that change, long days and even longer nights, and achieving new heights of patience that are similar to scaling the highest mountains…and of love…a kind of love that you never knew you were capable of before. While life does take a 360-degree turn as a little bundle enters our lives, most working women are faced with the dilemma of ‘to work, or not to work’. Even as the years have gone by and women have proved their mettle in the corporate world, this age old dilemma continues to plague them. For the modern woman, the dichotomy stems from that fact that families have become increasingly nuclear, there are hardly any professional day-cares (in India) and the only option that they have is to leave their precious bundle with a nanny who is usually untrained to bring up your baby in the manner ‘you’ want and with all the risks associated with it.
While there are many women who choose to quit their jobs because they ‘want’ to be stay-at-home mums, there is also a large chunk of women who have to do so because of that very lack of choice. Given that most women are having their children a little later in life (the late twenties to early thirties) this also means that they have to quit when they are on their way to assuming leadership roles that will take their career forward. As a leader in one of the foremost IT company in the world, I realized that this ‘either/or’ option was not just not conducive to the emotional health of the woman (after all she’s taking a decision she really does not want to and has to live with that choice each day as a functional and ‘happy’ individual), it also was not conducive to the health of the organizations and the country as a whole.
According to data collected by the United Nations, the relationship between the number of working women and positive economic growth is directly proportional. Today, we have reservation bills, that have been passed by the government, that are aimed to provide equal opportunities for women. A report called “Women, Work and the Economy” published by the International Monetary Fund clearly shows how gender inequality in the workforce can hurt economic growth.
This report clearly shows that raising women’s participation in the workforce would raise the GDP of USA by 5%, Japan by 9%, UAE by 12% and of Egypt by 34%!.
If India wants to be a fastest growing economy with more than 10 % growth, we definitely want our women back to work after maternity. European countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland have very strong policies for women to ensure that they do not drop out of the workforce. This includes extended maternity leave followed by dependable day-care facilities…just a few things that ensure that a mother can work in peace.
Corporate organizations also benefit greatly by hiring mothers who want to get back to work. I, for one, have noticed in my tenure in companies like Infosys and Dell that new mothers are more committed and driven. They are highly organized, can multitask proficiently. They are highly productive as they are focused on ‘getting the job done’. The other most obvious advantage is that they are a skilled workforce and are tuned-in to their roles and the company values & culture. Additionally, there is no downtime that comes with a new hire during their induction and training phase. I have also personally witnessed that mothers, both new and the not-so-new, have a very high inner strength that makes them supremely capable of handling stress levels that could possibly flood Mohammad Ali. Mothers also make excellent managers since they have the multitasking abilities of a ninja and problem-solving skills along with the elevated empathy levels which make them more approachable and fosters a sense of good will within team members. Women are also more likely to be long-term resources, more committed and attached to a company and contribute to organizational growth when they are provided with a conducive environment to work post motherhood. In fact, a study by McKinsey & Company called Women Matter shows that companies benefit greatly by providing women leadership opportunities as it increases organizational effectiveness.
Coming back to a relatively personal angle, a lot of working women quit their jobs because of the guilt of not giving all their waking (and also non-waking) hours to their babies. With rising expenses and expectations of global standard of living, need vacations, moving from a double to a single income family can make a big financial dent which can be hard to scale in the long run. Apart from that, studies also show that children of working mothers are emotionally more stable and high achievers since the mothers are less likely to be depressed. Yes, I had a working mother and it surely helped me to become independent early. Finally, it helps in teaching the next generation a very important lesson – one that erases the gender stereotypes that dictates that the only way for a woman to bring up good children and have a happy family is by sacrificing her career and becoming a stay-at-home mother.
Wanting to have children and having a swinging career should not be an either/or option. I think in today’s age we should all agree to that.
