For those of you aware of the juggling act that motherhood brings, it’s probably no surprise that when you add a flourishing career into the mix, it can certainly give you a ‘jack of all trades’ complex – but it really doesn’t have to be that way.
I myself am a proud, part time working mum after returning from maternity leave at the beginning of 2022, after 12 glorious months with my confident, strong willed, firecracker of a daughter. (I wouldn’t have her any other way of course.)
When I reflect on my journey back into the working world, I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed in myself for assuming that in this day and age, I would struggle to find an employer that could offer me a flexible and part time role.
I was worried that I would be put in a difficult position in which I’d have to give up my two days a week with my daughter in exchange for job security and equal opportunities, and that I’d be forced to choose between having a career, and being a mum. However, I can gladly say that I am both relieved and elated that my concerns could not have been further from the truth.
Here, I have a chat with one of our talented software engineers, Jen Openshaw. Blessed with an inspiring career history of her own, Jen is one of our biggest diversity and inclusion advocates. She shares similar views to myself on the continued fight for equal rights, and guess what – she’s a fellow working mum!
What does a typical day look like for you as a working mum?
I have two little boys, aged 4 and 3. My husband and I both work and our childcare during the working week is a mix of pre-school and a childminder.
In the mornings, it’s a mad scramble to get everyone ready and out the door for 7:30am. There is usually porridge flying around and plenty of tantrums about iPads and lost school shoes. My husband does the pre-school drop off and, thanks to hybrid working, I work most days from home.
When they head off I disappear into the peace of my office at home to start work, getting stuck into coding until it’s time to pick up the boys from after-school club. On the days when I go into the office in person, my husband does both pick up and drop off and I get home in time for bath time. He often travels with work, so when he’s away I arrange my hours flexibly so that I can do the drop-offs, pick-ups, look after the boys, and catch up on work later.
When I say all that aloud, my typical day does sounds fairly exhausting and I won’t pretend that it’s not sometimes. However, after a year in this role, it’s really working well for my family and me. I enjoy the mix of being a mum but also getting stuck into a career that I love.
The team at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, particularly the senior management, are very supportive of flexible working and a lot of the team work flexibly in some way too – not just the parents – so I don’t feel like I’m the only one.
What advice would you offer other businesses, based on your particular experience as a working mum with BAE Systems Digital intelligence?
Inevitably, having children so often coincides with the point at which women reach more senior positions in their careers. It is therefore no coincidence that there is a shortage of women at more senior levels in the sector; there can be barriers to women returning to work after having children if there is not enough flexibility in the workplace.
Parents, and particularly mums, need opportunities for flexible, part-time or hybrid working and, most importantly, those working patterns need to be normalised as part of the working culture for it to work for everyone.
All employees should be allowed and – crucially – encouraged to adopt working patterns that work for them, regardless of whether they are working parents or not. Only when we normalise alternative working patterns will we remove the risk of marginalisation or career-stagnation for those who need to work flexibly/part-time due to their caring commitments.
Research shows that women still do almost three times as much childcare as men, and 60 per cent more of the unpaid domestic work, despite three-quarters of mothers being in paid work in 2020. A 40-hour working week, in person in the office is not often compatible with being a parent of young children. [The Motherhood Penalty, Joeli Brearly 2021].
Employees need to be given the confidence to work a three day week, or finish in time to do school pick up, or take an emergency day off to care for a sick child without fear that it will jeopardise their ability to progress and have a fulfilling career.
Thankfully, attitudes are changing and there are some fantastic employers embracing part-time, flexible and hybrid working in all its variety.
If you could give your past self-one piece of advice about being a working mother what would it be?
Being a working mum is hard. There will be times when you feel like you’re winning and plenty of times when you feel like you can’t “have it all” after all – and that’s ok.
Work out a working pattern that works for you and your family, choose an employer with a culture that embraces flexible working and be selfish about carving out time in your day for your children or your work, in a way that suits you.”
So many of those responses really resonated with me, and it really does remind me why the fight must continue for equality in the workplace. I genuinely believe that you can in fact have it all, but the support of your employer is crucial in reaching your full potential.
If you are looking to return to work, or are looking for a flexible role where you don’t have to choose between a career and being a mum, then check out our current part and full time opportunities
Careers at BAE Systems
About the author
Mollie Chamberlain is a Talent Acquisition Partner at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence