The "Maternal Wall": Sturdier than Ever

This month, two important studies revealed disappointing trends for women in business.

The first is the fifth annual UC Davis study of California Women Business Leaders: A Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers. The study examines the presence of women at the top of the 400 publicly held corporations in California. Among the key findings: Women hold just 10.6% of the board seats and top executive officer positions. 29.5% of the companies have no female board members or executive officers. Only 15 of the 400 companies have a woman CEO. And while San Francisco boasts the highest percentage of women directors (15.7%), its neighbor, Silicon Valley boasts the least (8.2%). Silicon Valley. Seriously!

In Europe, the data is even less encouraging. Here, women are [probably unknowingly] sacrificing career advancement for generous maternity benefits. A survey from Sweden’s Research Institute of Industrial Economics finds that the more weeks of paid maternity leave a woman gets, the less likely she is to break through the glass ceiling. In Britain, women are entitled to 39 weeks of paid maternity leave. A Swedish mother fares even better with 60 weeks of paid leave. But both are more likely to hit a “maternal wall” than their US counterpart who benefits from no paid leave.

Here’s the sobering data: Females account for 42.7 % of managers in US corporations while only 34.4% of management positions in British companies are held by women. And the numbers fall as the maternity benefits rise. Danish women enjoy 50 weeks of paid maternity leave but hold only 27.7% of management positions. So, although female executives in California still occupy few seats in the board room as the UC Davis study reports, they still have it better than their EU sisters.

No doubt, there are lots of ways to interpret the data from the Swedish study. But as the first decade of the 21st century nears its end, it’s beyond time to redress the gender imbalance and think differently. Paid or unpaid, a short break from the workforce shouldn’t invite retribution in the form of reduced opportunity.

After all, our business world is rapidly changing. There are more women in the workplace than ever. Our working lives are now extending into our 70s. Many of us—men and women—will experience bouts of unemployment, often for longer periods than a standard maternity leave. More will take temporary sabbaticals to pursue a passion outside of work. In this altered business world, the notion, therefore, that a short maternity absence from the workforce might punish a woman’s prospects and diminish her earning potential is absurd. Taking the time to nurture a newborn during its delicate first year of life is hardly an indulgence and should not carry career-limiting consequences.