The Mother's Wall Bias - I Dare Not Be Late

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There is something called the maternal wall bias, which is that when women become mothers they are seen as less competent and less committed to work. In both studies, we were expecting a gender difference in the findings around things like level of concern, level of interruption. But then what we all know from other data is that women do more of the unpaid work. So I guess in some ways I feel heartened that the concern and the problem are equally affecting fathers and mothers.

When your child is struggling—whether it’s with anxiety, anger management, or depression—focusing on anything other than how they’re doing can be difficult to nearly impossible. Yet so many parents are straining day after day to support their children while trying to keep up at work. And so many lack enough flexibility, understanding, and paid time off from their employer to take care of everything they need to do, from finding their children a therapist to taking them to appointments.

What can mothers, managers, and leaders do to make work more manageable? The executive director of the children’s mental health advocacy group On Our Sleeves shares ideas and advice.

Guest:

Marti Bledsoe Post is the executive director of the children’s mental health advocacy group On Our Sleeves and the author of Retrofit: The Playbook for Modern Moms.

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