When Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin went into labour with her second child early, she was in the middle of grading her students害羞草研究所� work.

害羞草研究所淢y closest friend was telling me to go to the hospital. My partner was like, 害羞草研究所楲et害羞草研究所檚 go to the hospital,害羞草研究所� but I害羞草研究所檓 like, 害羞草研究所楴o, I have to finish this because once I have this baby, I don害羞草研究所檛 know how I害羞草研究所檓 going to do it,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 the Queen害羞草研究所檚 University associate professor recalled.

害羞草研究所淭his is how wild it can be sometimes because you don害羞草研究所檛 want to feel like oh, I害羞草研究所檓 not doing my work.害羞草研究所�

Adeniyi-Ogunyankin害羞草研究所檚 insistence on finishing her marking despite being on the cusp of one of her family害羞草研究所檚 most important moments was a product of the pressure she and other women feel when juggling motherhood and their careers.

The challenges they encounter form what some call a 害羞草研究所渕aternal wall:害羞草研究所� the ways that negative perceptions of mothers in the workforce can block opportunities for career advancement.

For many, the maternal wall crops up when employers and peers start to doubt their ability to do their jobs because they害羞草研究所檙e also raising kids.

A 2023 report from international non-profit Mothers in Science found one-third of women working in the sciences while raising children had their competence questioned by employers and colleagues after becoming a parent.

But the phenomenon is not contained to a particular field.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 shocking how prevalent it is,害羞草研究所� said Allison Venditti, founder of advocacy group Moms at Work.

You might assume there would be less of it in areas like health care, which have historically employed a higher number of women, but there are examples of it everywhere, she said.

It even affects women who aren害羞草研究所檛 pregnant and don害羞草研究所檛 have kids, Venditti said, because many see them as a 害羞草研究所渂reeding horse害羞草研究所� as soon they hit the typical child-bearing years.

害羞草研究所淧eople are looking at you going, 害羞草研究所業 wonder when she害羞草研究所檚 going to have a kid,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Venditti said.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e had conversations with the human resources person when people are looking at layoffs and whatever and they害羞草研究所檙e like, 害羞草研究所榃ell, how many more good years does she have left?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

If women have kids, Venditti said they are frequently become the 害羞草研究所渄efault害羞草研究所� for childcare and housework, but their employers often view these responsibilities as a distraction from work. If the demands of child-rearing become too steep, mothers are commonly expected to put their careers aside.

害羞草研究所淲hen couples are having these discussions about whose job to protect 害羞草研究所� they害羞草研究所檙e focusing on the person who害羞草研究所檚 making more money and that is predominantly men,害羞草研究所� Venditti said.

Statistics Canada found women between the ages of 25 and 54 earned 89 cents for every dollar made by men in 2021.

Those who take time off for caregiving often find the wage gap is even larger because their absence can affect seniority and the opportunities open to them.

Some companies are trying to help with the challenges of motherhood.

Apparel brand Patagonia, for example, provides workers with on-site child care at its headquarters and one of its distribution centres.

Consulting firm PwC offers maternity top-ups for birth mothers, financial support for parents who adopt children, fertility coverage and parental leave coaching aimed at helping workers focus on their family while away and then return to work with their long-term career goals in mind.

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research reimburses individuals with a dependent under the age of 12 for costs associated with childcare when it holds meetings.

However, Adeniyi-Ogunyankin still sees hurdles in areas like research travel.

害羞草研究所淚f you害羞草研究所檙e going to go away and do research, you can害羞草研究所檛 just go there for a week or two weeks in order to get something substantial,害羞草研究所� said Adeniyi-Ogunyankin, a CIFAR fellow who researches the politics of gender and neoliberal urbanism in two Nigerian cities.

害羞草研究所淭o understand the context, you need to be there for months at a time 害羞草研究所� so that becomes challenging when you have kids.害羞草研究所�

She害羞草研究所檚 contemplating what to do with her kids if she is able to travel to Nigeria. Plane tickets would cost $2,000 per child and she害羞草研究所檇 have to cover daycare fees to keep one of her kids from losing their spot.

But she害羞草研究所檚 made her career and child care work several times before.

When she was interviewing for a job while one of her children was a few months old, she heard a common refrain: don害羞草研究所檛 let people know you have a child.

害羞草研究所淚 decided not to do that,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 was like, 害羞草研究所業 have a three-month-old, so you need to schedule some breaks in for me.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

She has brought her baby to presentations and dinners during the recruitment process. She figures it was more acceptable because she害羞草研究所檚 in the gender studies field, but still argues 害羞草研究所渨e don害羞草研究所檛 need to make that part of ourselves invisible.害羞草研究所�

Jessica Metcalf, a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar who teaches at Colorado State University, agrees. She strives to be a role model for others aspiring to pursue academia and have kids.

Doing both means sometimes making 害羞草研究所渉ard decisions害羞草研究所� because 害羞草研究所渢he reality is I can害羞草研究所檛 do everything,害羞草研究所� she said.

害羞草研究所淚 have to do in 40 hours a week, what some people have 50 or 60 hours a week to do,害羞草研究所� she said,noting she can害羞草研究所檛 catch up on work during the weekend because she has to care for her kids then.

害羞草研究所淚 always joke, if I was as efficient as I am now when I was in grad school, I would have finished in, like, half the time.害羞草研究所�

To manage the demands of work and motherhood, Metcalf hired a sleep consultant to smooth out her kids害羞草研究所� bedtime so she isn害羞草研究所檛 awoken several times in the night, and feverishly uses her calendar.

She sees signs that conditions are improving for working mothers. Her employer, for example, is exploring a pilot project which could offer financial support or temporary caregiving during research periods.

But supporting working moms can害羞草研究所檛 come solely from small policy changes, Venditti said. It has to come from companies害羞草研究所� operating ethos or from a new generation dramatically improving the work situation for the next one.

害羞草研究所淲hen women run companies, when people start companies because of the way they were treated, magic happens,害羞草研究所� she said.

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