With Mother’s Day just around the corner, a very important topic to remember is the relationship between motherhood and the job market. Being a mother and developing a professional career can be much more difficult than it seems. The job market is often sexist and surrounded by prejudice, which can hinder the journey of mothers who try to undertake or grow within it.
To further discuss this topic, we invited Hannah Leeming, CEO of Chili and mother, for an interview in which she tells about the challenges and experiences on this topic within the Brazilian and international job market.
Check out our interview with Hannah Leeming:
AdNews: Much is said about how the job market treats mothers who undertake, especially in Brazil. Do you see this element as a problem to be solved here?
Hannah Leeming: I don’t think it’s a specific problem for Brazil, it’s a global social problem with no easy solution. In most countries, fathers do not receive paternity leave, which forces the mother to take leave. There is a huge shortage of affordable day care, which means that, in most cases, it is not financially viable for the mother to return to work, as her entire salary would go straight into care – not to mention the social pressure of putting her child in care. school before the age of three. I think Brazilian women have adapted very well to that. I was reading an article that said that 29% of Latinas were interested in starting their own post-covid business versus 13% of European women. Entrepreneurship among women has skyrocketed during Covid, as millions of women have been forced to quit their jobs to be the primary caregivers of their children. It was a total nightmare with schools closed and a shortage of babysitters as the world was quarantined. I was lucky enough to have slack flexibility when needed, but most women wouldn’t have that luxury.
AD: In the United Kingdom, is there a difference in the ease for mothers to undertake in relation to Brazil?
HL: In the UK, statutory leave is 26 weeks. In China, where I had my first child, you also have 6 months of paid leave. Both the UK and Chinese government support companies to pay for these leave periods which I think is where Brazil could improve. No company wants to leave a mother without support, but as a business owner I can understand the difficulties of having to assume this responsibility without government support.
AD: What were the main difficulties in managing the life of a mother and the life of a CEO?
HL: For me, guilt has always been the hardest thing to manage. As a mother, you have a responsibility to your children, but as a CEO, you have a responsibility to your team. You feel guilty about leaving your team to manage maternity leave, so I used to make calls with my team every few days on maternity leave just to keep up to date. So when you go back to work, you feel guilty about leaving your kids with a babysitter or at school. Also, SLEEP! Haha I have two boys under the age of three, they wake up on average 2-3 times a night. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in three years and some days it can really affect your work.
AD: Has being a mother helped you to develop professionally? Did the maternal side teach you something that you used during your career?
HL: I think that allowed me to compartmentalize things better. Before kids, I was at work late and my day never ended. With the kids I have to be at school to pick them up, I try not to check my emails/phone until I get to the office in the morning. I always try to be present in every aspect, when I’m at work I’m working, when I’m at home, I’m a mother. That’s not to say that once the kids are in bed I don’t go back online and work hahaha, but it does give me at least a few hours of downtime. It also taught me to put things into perspective, as there will always be problems to solve, at work and at home, but I think it’s important not to blow them out of proportion. I’m not a doctor, if I have a bad day at work, no one will die! I have a chance to fix it all over again the next day. In short, prioritize, don’t try to do everything. I know there are moms out there who hand-sew beautiful fancy outfits for every school event, but I’d rather just buy them and spend time with my kids. I think every mother does what they can and my goal is to deal with them in the way they most appreciate. At the end of the day, I’m not trying to impress anyone else but my babies.
AD: As CEO, are you looking for an initiative that opens space for mothers who want to enter this market?
HL: When you look at the polls out there, a higher percentage of moms want to return to the office than their male or non-mother counterparts (understandable if you’ve ever tried working with kids from home!), but the obstacles can be very difficult to overcome. overcome, meaning that millions are unable to return to the workforce. We have a responsibility as management to remove as many of these obstacles as possible for our teams. My dream is to be able to provide an in-house day care for new moms, an initiative my last company in China started building when I announced my pregnancy. Also encouraging intrapreneurship projects that can flow at a different pace to the rest of the team and allowing new moms to manage their time in part-time, hybrid and full-time roles. Today’s digital environment gives us access to so many free courses and training that the ability to refocus your career is now easier than ever. Women need to be encouraged to apply for these projects and initiatives, motherhood is such a daunting topic for employers that they often shy away from these discussions, but there are many ways both sides can benefit from having more mothers on their team.
AD: Chili works with digital marketing, which is growing more and more all over the world. Do you also see this scenario in the presence of mothers with their children in online environments?
HL: 100%! Covid forced many women to start their own businesses, the most popular ones were based on e-commerce or blog/influencer marketing. It’s a worldwide trend and I think it gives a lot of freedom! All you need is a phone and internet.
AD: What advice would you give to a mother who wants to start in the job market and continue to be present in her child’s life?
HL: Ask for help. Ask your employer, your family, your friends. There is no weakness in asking for help, just as there is no reason for you to have to choose between your career and motherhood. Make sure you find the balance that works for you, ignore other people’s opinions about how much time is spent at work or how much time is spent with your kids – you do it yourself. A happy mother = happy babies!
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