The first cracks // Realities of Mums In Tech
40% of Mums in Tech felt their career was held back during their pregnancy.
In the tech industry, extended leave for maternity can be a very long time as the industry moves quickly. It’s no surprise that a significant proportion of Mums In Tech feel like their career was held back during their maternity leave.
Why did people feel like they were held back during leave?
Lack of Opportunities & Support
Unfortunately, in some cases, there was a persisting attitude that becoming a parent would accompany a lack of desire for career progression. This meant that conversations around development halted even before they had mentioned what they wanted.
"A leader in the business said 'Women don’t come back to work after having babies.' As this was the attitude... I wasn’t developed running up to maternity and I’m doubtful I’d have been considered worth investing in while away."
Restructure & Role Changes
A lot can change in a year,when mums are on extended leave there can be a high amount of structural change. If they are not considered in the process, notified about change and are excluded from the conversation, they will not have the same feeling of security in their role and will feel less valued.
"There was a restructure when I was on mat leave and I had to return to a completely different role and department - basically whatever was on offer at the time."
The speed of the tech industry.
Technology moves fast, so, understandably, you could feel left behind without a set retraining plan in place before going on extended leave.
"Tech industry changes day by day. Add that up over the course of a year and I was already behind."
52% of managers feel like they need further training on KIT Days and Communication through leave
HeyFlow Aggregated Data, 2024
Extended parental leaves are often handled by People & HR teams, which can mean that management can become disjointed and contribute to why some mothers feel held back during their maternity leave. It’s important to create a consistent flow of communication through all parties involved to combat this.
Those in support roles feel less held back.
28% of those in support roles felt their career was held back during their pregnancy, which is 12% lower than the overall average.
It makes sense that project-based roles (both technical and non-technical) feel these effects more strongly due to the pace of tech development during leave, as only 9% of those in support roles felt they had a skill gap on return.
‘Do you feel your career was held back during your pregnancy?’ Split by job function
Senior managers felt the most held back during their pregnancy, and directors felt the least held back.
It also makes sense that directors feel less held back by their pregnancy as there may be less of a feeling of halted progression due to them already having broken through the ceiling between senior management & director level.
The ‘Realities of Mums in Tech’ is an open and ongoing project and if you would like to contribute your story, you can today. Take the survey now
If you’d like more information about how to further support MotherBoard, get in touch at hello@motherboardcharter.co.uk
A MotherBoard x HeyFlow collaboration
About HeyFlow
Ending disadvantage for women in the workplace.
Insight, learning and action for female reproductive health inclusion in the workplace.