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BBC Drama ‘Sex, the City and Me’ Raises Maternity Issues
22/06/2007
Many women are still experiencing side-lining and undermining comments on returning to work after having a baby, although the trend is gradually improving says ICAS,
The BBC’s one-off TV drama ‘Sex, the City and Me’ which was aired on Sunday night (17 June 2007) followed the story of high-flying trader and manager ‘Jess’ who is sidelined in her job by her boss when she returns from maternity leave, and then receives a humiliatingly small bonus compared to her male colleagues. Jess then proceeds to sue the bank.
The drama is inspired by interviews with women who have fought major cases in the City of
Jennifer Liston-Smith of ICAS in partnership with Managing Maternity Ltd said: “Women who go on maternity leave need guidance on what to do if they start experiencing problems at work. Some women have told us they found the side-lining and undermining comments almost unbearable on returning to work. They sometimes simply put up with it to avoid drawing attention to themselves because they may already have doubts about their own ability to re-enter the world of work and hit the ground running.
“Such problems are more pronounced in sectors where the culture tends to be ‘macho’ with few women making it to senior levels. However, some of these sectors are also taking the lead in changing their culture because they see the need to retain women and also demonstrate to their clients that they are a firm with genuine diversity. Employers need to look at new ways of working to retain talented women at this critical time in their lives.”
One of the comments ICAS often receive from women is that while a company may have good policies and genuinely wish to be supportive, the day-to-day experience depends on her immediate boss and team members.
ICAS say employers should structure in a discussion ahead of time with the woman before all the unsaid doubts and prejudices surface, building in processes and tools so that more open conversations happen earlier on. Litigation is a symptom of a lack of dialogue and preparation, and ICAS’ approach is to partner with the employer to support the woman and her manager or team as the issues also impact others around her.
The advice ICAS give to employers includes encouraging more of a dialogue throughout the maternity process, including helping the woman to involve herself more in the planning of her impending maternity leave and return to work. Employers can help ensure she has things like performance appraisals organised, strengthens her networking contacts before going on maternity leave and maintains contacts whilst on leave.
Jennifer Liston-Smith added: “Most organisations like the one featured in the TV drama now have parenting networks or women’s networks, so there should be much more shared experience and wise advice from peers and mentors that Jess could have drawn on to avoid a head-on collision with her employer.
- © ICAS