“Should I ask in an interview what a company’s maternity leave policies are like?”
Women in their 20s and 30s, maybe not trying to get pregnant at all, feel stuck just knowing this could be coming down the pike. Ask, and you’re labeled with a huge CAUTION sign: “Warning! About to Get Pregnant! Do Not Hire!” Don’t ask, and next year, when you do get pregnant, find out that you’ll be one of the 23 percent of American working moms who are back on the job within two weeks of giving birth.
What’s a contributing member of society who represents half of the population to do?
Well, it’s not perfect, but here’s a start: A website called Fairygodboss is pulling back the veil on corporate policies that affect women. In a recent Forbes interview, Fairygodboss co-founder Romy Newman said that “only five of the Fortune 100 companies publicly list their maternity policies on their websites,” so you can imagine that it’s much, much worse as you go further down the line. Frustrated about the “loneliness” of working womanhood, two women launched the site because they “believe that women should help each other by sharing what we know and without criticizing those who make different work-life choices.”
So it’s kind of like Glassdoor, which provides information about salary and company culture, but specifically targeted to maternity leave benefits and work/life balance for women.
How cool is that? And it’s totally anonymous. In fact, if you post something that their editors think might reveal who you are, they’ll take it down. So…go already! Be part of the solution!
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