Why working mothers are discriminated against

Career or family? How often are women faced with this question? Rather, dilemma. For all the advancement and talks on women empowerment that is prevalent in the 21st century, women feel compelled to choose between a career and starting a family.

In an un-consoling number of cases, the choice is steered by fear. The fear of not being an ideal parent or the fear of losing opportunities at work. In other words, the fear of 'motherhood penalty'!

Parent24.com explains: "The motherhood penalty is the term given by sociologists when working mothers are considered less competent because they may not be able to do or handle the same work as a man or non-mother while having to take care of her children. As a result, she then earns less than men and non-mothers."

The online platform sheds further light on the menace mindset that plagues many corporates around the world. "Women are considered less loyal and reliable than men because it's assumed that they will eventually leave their place of work once they get married and have children."

The 'Power of Choice' report by the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) revealed that "although 80 per cent of Emirati women wanted to join the workforce, 42 per cent of respondents said their commitment to children forced them to leave the workplace and 30 per cent attributed unsuitable work hours to their decision to stay home."

There is a saying that women are the cornerstone of a society. How can this significant section of a mature and progressive society be limited to running a household and raising children? According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), "Empowering women to participate equally in the global economy could add $28 trillion in GDP growth by 2025." It also points out that "societies with greater gender equality not only offer better socioeconomic opportunities for women, but also tend to grow faster and more equitably".

In a research titled 'Women, Work and Family', Cornell University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis indicates that "working mothers face serious challenges when they have a child. In some cases, career opportunities shift or disappear completely when they go back to work after having children."

We have all heard of a woman who has been overlooked for a well-deserved promotion or been laid off on vague grounds post having a baby. Some of you female readers may have at some point, during a job interview, been asked, "do you plan to get married or have a baby soon?"

In a timeless interview, PepsiCo's first woman CEO Indra Nooyi said: "The biological clock and the career clock are in total conflict with each other. Total, complete conflict."

Research conducted by Harvard Business Review indicates that "many firms are failing to support female talent making this return and that women are often left feeling frustrated and disappointed by it. In many firms, parental leave was viewed as a major disruption". The research found signs that "women's careers were derailed after returning from leave, that colleagues held unconscious biases against the returning women, and that professional relationships also deteriorated after returning from leave."

In media reports on the topic, Shamsa Saleh, CEO of DWE, is cited as saying: "Although the UAE was among the first countries to introduce childcare centres in offices, a majority of places do not implement this."

The UAE recognises the role of women in economic diversification and therefore the government sector offers supportive policies to help women achieve work-life balance, 90 days' maternity leave, child care centres, nursing hour policies and most recent approval of the law on equal wages and salaries between men and women.

In the private sector, organisations should consider implementing special programmes designed for employees returning after parental leave. Companies may consider reintegrating employees by having them come in for a few hours a week before rejoining full time.

Across both public and private sectors, it is key to have an open line of communication to understand specific requirements that the employee may or may not have instead of making any assumptions.

Having a woman with children in an organisation's senior management position is also a good way to reduce gender bias as well as develop a more favourable and inclusive work environment.

The writer is founder and CEO of Stars Dome Realty and Mall.Global. Views expressed are her own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.