We’ve just had data released by University of South Australia about the experiences amongst pregnant and parent workers in Australia. The stats aren’t good. Over 90% reported experiencing discrimination at some point along the journey through pregnancy, parental leave and return to work. But it’s easy to move on from stats – they’re numbers, not people with rich lives.
Then I remembered a while ago I came across the Race Card Project – an incredible initiative to surface American’s honest views about race. It asks for 6 words to capture thoughts, stories, and experiences. People can share more than 6 words if they wish. These stories are powerful. They surface issues and spark conversations. They make the statistics real – there’s a face, a name and a personal impact.
I thought this could be adapted to gather insights about the working parent experience.
Therefore, I’ve decided to put a call out to collect and publicly share real life stories about what it’s like as a working parent during the transition through pregnancy, parental leave and return to work. I want to hear all the stories – the good, the bad and the downright outrageous.
I’m asking for 6 words about your experience. If you wish to share more you can. Here’s the link to the form https://forms.gle/fxiXw3ELuYLfYjuj8
And to kick it all off, I’ll go first. Here are my 6 words “Lost job. Locked out of workforce.”
Please share the link and this post amongst your networks. I’d love to get as many responses as possible!
N.B. Stories can be anonymous. Or if you’re comfortable, leave your details so we can share updates or get in touch.
hashtag#workingparents hashtag#returntowork hashtag#parentalleave
