Urgent: Canada’s Working Moms Face Severe ‘Motherhood Penalty’ Amid RTO Orders

URGENT UPDATE: As companies across Canada enforce strict return-to-office (RTO) orders, working mothers are feeling the burden more than ever. Experts warn that this shift threatens to exacerbate the “motherhood penalty,” where mothers face significant career setbacks due to their caregiving roles.

Recent directives from major employers, including Rogers Communications and various banks, are igniting concerns among parents, particularly mothers who must now juggle demanding office schedules alongside childcare responsibilities. Andrea DeKeseredy, a PhD student in sociology at the University of Alberta, emphasizes that the flexibility of remote work allowed many mothers to manage unexpected family demands more effectively during the pandemic.

According to a July 2023 survey by the Angus Reid Institute, only 9% of Canadian workers prefer full-time office work. DeKeseredy states that the new RTO mandates are disrupting the balance achieved during remote work, leading to increased strain on women who are often the primary caregivers.

“Women face challenges like the lack of flexibility and increased responsibilities at home with the reversal of remote working conditions,” DeKeseredy said in an interview with CTVNews.ca earlier today. She highlights that the added pressure can lead to significant pay cuts for mothers, a phenomenon referred to as the “motherhood penalty.”

DeKeseredy explains, “After women have kids, they take a pretty big pay cut due to the family work conflict that stems from having all of these responsibilities in the home and also the responsibilities at work.”

Research from the Institute for Research on Public Policy indicates that nearly 75% of fully remote employees reported improved job satisfaction, compared to only 53% of hybrid and in-office workers. As RTO orders are implemented, the risk of spreading illnesses increases, with parents forced to send sick children to school and come into work themselves despite being unwell.

“When parents run out of sick days, they may send their kids to school when they should be at home, risking illness for the entire community,” DeKeseredy warns.

Moreover, she introduces the concepts of “flexibility paradox” and “flexibility remote stigma.” The former refers to the resentment some workers face when seeking flexible work arrangements, while the latter highlights how remote-working mothers often take on more domestic responsibilities, leading to imbalanced household roles.

DeKeseredy asserts, “Not only does Mom need the option for workplace flexibility, increased sick days, increased paid family leave, but so does Dad.” She stresses that without a shift in employer attitudes toward the unpredictability of family life, the burdens of caregiving will continue to disproportionately fall on mothers.

As the situation develops, parents across Canada are calling for urgent reforms in workplace policies to accommodate the realities of modern family life. The implications of these RTO orders are far-reaching, affecting not just mothers but entire families and communities.

What’s Next: Advocates urge employers to reconsider RTO policies and implement more flexible arrangements to support working parents. The pressure is mounting for companies to adapt to the needs of their employees, especially as the impact of these policies becomes clearer in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for updates as this story unfolds and working families navigate the challenges of returning to the office.