Mothers in Tech-Whats not being heard!

A week ago, I joined over 500 other people at an all-day tech job fair event in the semiconductor area.

This is what I learned.

When I walked into the career room, I noticed how few women there were–only about 10% of the attendees. Curious to see what brought these particular women to the event, I approached several of them to learn more about their job search needs.

The first woman I talked to was primarily career-oriented. She expressed little anxiety about her situation. “I am safe since I have my own business,” she explained. And after mentioning that she and her husband were open to the idea of not having children, she asked me, “Is MomWorkforce Solutions about like.. babysitting jobs?”

I also ran into an unmarried woman who was a newly-minted PhD in engineering. She was at the event looking for a company to sponsor her career in the US. She expressed confusion as to why employed mothers would be at a job fair looking for a different job. “If you work really… hard, why would a company give you trouble or let you go?”

In total, I talked to five mothers, ranging in age from thirty to fifty. All had similar stories. Whether they were single, married, employed, seeking employment, they were all looking for a position, either full-time or part-time, that would fit with their family schedule. One mother who had two children under the age of four commented, “It is the first time in 10 years that I have had to look for a job.” When I asked whether she was currently working, she replied that she was employed, but that she couldn’t handle her existing company’s schedule and her kids’ schedules at the same time. She noted that her husband also works. “He helps, but it is still difficult,” she lamented. She gets up at 6am to get her kids ready, and then she drops them off at the home of a relative so she can be at work by 8am.

Three of the mothers I spoke with were single. All had limited time at the job fair due to their tight schedules. One mother said that she had been at work (it was Saturday), had left to pick up her kids, then dropped them off with another friend so she could be at the event. She said, “I only have two hours max, including driving.”

These real-life struggles are among many I have encountered. And although they are anecdotal, they do reflect the social trends that I described in my previous blog about“Women In Tech, Catching Them from the Other End?”. Perhaps, if we can pause for a moment and rethink, what would our lives be like if our own mothers took a different life or career path?

By the time I left, I felt even more compelled to continue building MomWorkforce Solutions. Women told me repeatedly that their needs for finding jobs with flexible hours to accommodate their family needs are not being met.

It is clear that we need to reconsider and redefine the flex job model at both full-time and part-time levels. At MomWorkforce Solutions, we understand the challenges inherent in balancing work and family life, and are dedicated to helping women achieve work-life satisfaction and professional success. We are equally committed to providing employers with a competent and devoted workforce.

MomWorkforce Solutions is eager to run a couple of pilot programs with tech companies. If you are interested, please indicate your support and connect with me on LinkedIn. I will reply promptly.

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