Running a business as a mother

Attending theALLBRIGHT Step Forward Conference in honour of International Women’s Day (IWD) underlined to me just how important it was for society and us to recognise our roles as mothers while we continue to hold paid jobs or run businesses.

‍The Step Forward conference was a fascinating conglomeration of women from all walks of life. It had an extraordinary lineup of CEOs, industry leaders and change-makers in a powerful celebration for IWD.

I met women who were building businesses, leading global brands, navigating career pivots and those who were more than ready to acknowledge their doubts and weaknesses and still had the courage to do it anyway.

One of the panel discussions was about motherhood - the question was how can we redesign systems to support ambition and caregiving equally.

With esteeemed panelists such as Prof Pragya Agarwal, an author and academic, Karni Arieli, a BAFTA-nominated filmmaker, and Marie-Louise, author of The Modern Midwife, it was a fast-paced discussion on just how much the system is stacked against mothers.

While there are many instances of employers doing their part in supporting mothers at work, on the whole, the system favours a 9-5 working day with no regard for school holidays or pick-up times, and a general bias against mothers in the workforce, particularly in the early years of motherhood.

I can’t say that I haven’t felt the effects of this system first-hand. But while the system will take a long while to correct itself, it behooves us for now to acknowledge our roles as mothers proudly and unapologetically.

Soon after the conference, I added mother to my LinkedIn page as a title I hold and one I’m proud of. It’s a small gesture but one that I’m hoping will set in motion a trend. And move us a little further along the shift needed to recognise and put a value on the work of raising the next generation of humanity.