Should you be doing more to support parents?

Most women fear having children will impact their career. Are you doing enough to make sure it doesn’t?

BY Caitlin Nobes 05 Dec. 2013

More than 80% of women fear having a family will slow or halt their career progression. What can you do to better support the parents in your organization?

A new study from UK organization Opportunity Now of more than 14,000 women finds that 81% feel having children will affect their careers, with 72% feeling conflicted about their ability to balance family with career.

“The early results of the survey highlight a conundrum that many women face: they want to work and develop their careers, but they often perceive the sacrifices and pressures as too great,” Kathryn Nawrockyi, director of Opportunity Now, said.

Other key statistics include:

62% of women feel pressured to succeed at both work and home
69% say society expects women to put family before their career
66% believe work needs to be their number one priority if they are to advance their career
63% feel that flexible working still means working long hours

There is also an imbalance in expectations on men and women as parents. Catalyst Canada executive director Alex Johnson noted that she and her husband have three children, but he is rarely asked how he balances work and family while it is a common question for her.

Fathers are much less likely to use parental leave – just one in five fathers in Canada participates in the program – and studies from Europe show that a number of factors influence who takes the most parental leave in heterosexual families including financial impact and social expectations. The good news is that the trend is on the way up. In 2001 just 10% of fathers used parental leave, increasing to 20% by 2006.

On Page Two: What HR can do

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What HR can do:

Ask employees what they want and need
Sometimes HR can be wary of asking specific questions about intentions around family and other protected traits, however, this is also the best way to get information on what support your employees will need. Be consistent in asking all employees about their plans for the future, what support they might need from the company and help them understand the programs you already have in place.
Retain contact and involvement throughout maternity leave
When law firm McCarthy Tétrault wanted to reduce the impact of parental leave on how many women remained on the path to partnership, a key approach was to match them with a mentor to keep them up to date. The amount of information and contact was up to the female employee, ranging from frequent updates on cases and changes in the company to occasional calls and invitations to events. Not only does this help keep the mother in the loop, it ensures that when they return to work they have a champion who is invested in helping them succeed.
Encourage fathers to understand their rights to leave
There are a complex range of reasons why it is often women who take up parental leave, despite it being available to both parents, but ensuring that fathers are aware of their rights and know they will be supported in their decision to take leave increases support for both parents.