Although this article speaks of the United States it is worth a read and some consideration.
This Sunday, in the U.S. and elsewhere, we will take time out of our busy
schedules to stop and honor some of the most important people in our lives: our
mothers. While this is certainly a moment for celebration, it's also a chance
for reflection. How are we treating our mothers the other 364 days of the year?
It turns out, we could be doing a lot better. Studies show that if we paid
stay-at-home mothers an appropriate salary, they'd make $117,000 a year. And
the political debates of the last year have only magnified how undervalued and
marginalized our mothers really are.
Recently I wrote a piece for the International Museum of Women called "A Revolution, Stalled," in which I addressed how we are especially failing our mothers in the workforce:
"The lack of proper respect and assistance for working mothers is a major factor in the lack of equality for women across the board. The pay gap still exists...Furthermore, even though studies have shown that working mothers pose fewer burdens for employers than their co-workers, the stereotype persists, and women with children make 7 to 14 percent less than their childless female peers."
This Mother's Day we're asking how we can better value all mothers. How can
partners and extended family members help out with childcare, elderly care, and
household management so that the responsibility doesn't fall 100 percent on the
shoulders of women? How does your company, your spouse's company or your
parents' company(ies) treat working mothers? Find the contact information
of their CEO and simply forward them this email. Send
them the Gender
Equity Principles for further directions on how to make sure women
everywhere are being treated fairly.
We all have a responsibility to mothers, and one way we can support those in
our community is by raising awareness around these issues. Regardless of
whether she works at home or in an office, the greatest gift we can give our
mothers is a transformation of our culture's unfair expectations of women as
primary caregivers and household managers. By raising consciousness around the
issues faced by moms, we are closing the gender gap and expanding the
opportunities available to all women and girls.
Happy Mother's Day!
Onwards,
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, CEO and Founder of
MissRepresentation.org
