Research indicates that motherhood can enhance women’s cognitive abilities, yet many workplaces continue to sideline them. Dr. Anne Welsh, a clinical psychologist at Harvard University Health Services, experienced this firsthand. Despite having a fulfilling career working with students, she found her workload unmanageable while pregnant with her second child and caring for a toddler. In 2011, she decided that her 60-client caseload was too much to handle, highlighting the challenges working mothers face in balancing professional and personal responsibilities. This situation underscores a broader issue where workplaces fail to accommodate the unique strengths and needs of mothers, often pushing them out instead of supporting them.
QUESTION: How might workplaces change to better support mothers and utilize their cognitive strengths?
Workplaces are pushing out working mothers—and paying the cost
