Just read a brilliant article about how much mothers are criticised and judged by others - often by people in public that they don't even know. With Mother's Day looming and all the spin about really caring for mothers and 'it's the most important job in the world' then why is there so much judgment and criticism of mothers? Damned if they go to work and leave their kids, passed over socially if they don't work as not being anyone of consequence - what's a poor woman to do? not have children? Then she's damned for being too selfish. We can't seem to win any which way.
If only we could give mothers the praise that they so rightly deserve - the courage to bring another human being into the world and nurture them in the best possible way they know how. To be a 'good-enough' mother. Let's all give at least one mother some positive comments this Mother's Day about what she's doing that IS working. That will make her Mother's Day!
Read the article http://tinyurl.com/px3xw4
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Right to ask for flexible working rights in the UK
UK parents of children under 16 now have the right to ask for flexible working hours from their employer . Previously only legislated for parents with children under 6, this is an outstanding recognition that children need support from parents all through their school years as well.
Fantastic achievment UK - what's Australia doing about this? C'mon -let's get with the times!
...'the business benefits of flexible working, with three in five (59 per cent) saying it would improve staff morale, two in five (40 per cent) working mums believing flexible working would reduce absenteeism, and more than a quarter saying it would improve staff retention and attract talented staff. Recognised business benefits of flexible working also include increased productivity and recruitment savings.' So why are so many Australian employers not doing this?
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/24480
Fantastic achievment UK - what's Australia doing about this? C'mon -let's get with the times!
...'the business benefits of flexible working, with three in five (59 per cent) saying it would improve staff morale, two in five (40 per cent) working mums believing flexible working would reduce absenteeism, and more than a quarter saying it would improve staff retention and attract talented staff. Recognised business benefits of flexible working also include increased productivity and recruitment savings.' So why are so many Australian employers not doing this?
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/24480
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Paid Maternity Leave - Come on Australia Let's Do It!
Australia is one of only 2 OECD countries that still doesn't have paid parental leave (USA is the other one - surprise surprise!).
Kevin Rudd promised that paid leave would be on the agenda when he won office but has claimed the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has now put this on the backburner - but why? Surely this would help struggling parents just as much as any stimulation package???
This is also the view of Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (mother of a 2 year old) who argues in this SMH article for Paid Parental Leave to be a definite in this May's Budget.
Let's support the debate to make sure it is!
http://tinyurl.com/cgdn6w
Kevin Rudd promised that paid leave would be on the agenda when he won office but has claimed the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has now put this on the backburner - but why? Surely this would help struggling parents just as much as any stimulation package???
This is also the view of Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (mother of a 2 year old) who argues in this SMH article for Paid Parental Leave to be a definite in this May's Budget.
Let's support the debate to make sure it is!
http://tinyurl.com/cgdn6w
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Southern Cross University Supports Working Women
Thank goodness some organisations are still seeing women as a valuable asset.
FIVE universities were dropped from the 2009 employer of choice for women list last week (albeit due to changes over pay gender equity criteria). Southern Cross University (SCU) was named as a new 2009 Employer of Choice for Women yesterday, as a result of ensuring a fair workplace for working women.
The Development Program for Women offered at Southern Cross University includes a mentoring program, as well as a networking forum hosted by the Equity Services and Human Resource Services.
Mentoring and networking forums - just what we've been offering for years. So listen up all you other organisations that don't currently offer this.
That's what we want. That's what we need.
FIVE universities were dropped from the 2009 employer of choice for women list last week (albeit due to changes over pay gender equity criteria). Southern Cross University (SCU) was named as a new 2009 Employer of Choice for Women yesterday, as a result of ensuring a fair workplace for working women.
The Development Program for Women offered at Southern Cross University includes a mentoring program, as well as a networking forum hosted by the Equity Services and Human Resource Services.
Mentoring and networking forums - just what we've been offering for years. So listen up all you other organisations that don't currently offer this.
That's what we want. That's what we need.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Years Thoughts on Working Mothers
How do we negotiate the nearly impossible task of nurturing partner, children, career and self in the isolation and lack of community today? The social support we desperately need to ground ourselves for the relentless tasks of motherhood is absent. How can we recreate that?
That was part of our purpose for designing The Corporate Mothers' Forum - so working mums could just talk to each other and download. Becoming a mother is one of the biggest physical and psychological transitions that a woman can go through - along with menarche (the first period) and menopause (the last period).
But of these three female transition stages - childbirth involves a change so dramatic that women often feel their lives are on the line. All vestiges of control must be surrendered and swept aside for total transformation of the woman into the mother. It often astonishes women how vulnerable we can feel after childbirth as our whole endocrine system has been turned upside down. Was this your experience?
To register for more tips, see www.workingmotherssecrets.com
That was part of our purpose for designing The Corporate Mothers' Forum - so working mums could just talk to each other and download. Becoming a mother is one of the biggest physical and psychological transitions that a woman can go through - along with menarche (the first period) and menopause (the last period).
But of these three female transition stages - childbirth involves a change so dramatic that women often feel their lives are on the line. All vestiges of control must be surrendered and swept aside for total transformation of the woman into the mother. It often astonishes women how vulnerable we can feel after childbirth as our whole endocrine system has been turned upside down. Was this your experience?
To register for more tips, see www.workingmotherssecrets.com
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