Supporting Actuarial Working Mothers: A Leadership Perspective
Written by Anita Gan and Kylie Hogan
The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 is “Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.” The aim of the campaign is to “examine the pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls everywhere as women still face significant obstacles to achieving equal participation in the economy.”
In this article, we will explore the challenges encountered by actuarial working mothers, the benefits of supporting them in the workplace, and practical strategies that leaders can implement to foster a culture of support and inclusion.
Understanding the Challenges
Being a working mother is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences, it can also be one of the most difficult. These challenges tend to affect women much more than men and generally last longer.
One of the best charts[1] we have seen that helps explain how a mother’s life changes compared to a fathers after the birth of a child is shown below.
Figure 1: Mother and father’s time use up to and after the birth of first child
What can we take away from this?
The increase in child care in the first few years after birth for the mother is understandable (particularly if the mother is breastfeeding), however it stays much higher for the next ten years compared to the father.
Household work increases substantially after birth for the mother (and stays high!), but hardy changes for the father.
Most women, even if they do return to the workforce, do so on a part time basis, while the father’s hours hardly change.
Mothers also face additional barriers returning to work as generally the responsibility of caring for family is done by them. The latest Job Morbidity survey shows 13.5% of females leave their jobs for family, compared to 4.6% for males[1]. A media release in November 2023 from the ABS stated caring for children is the largest barrier for females to start a job or work more hours[2].
Actuarial working mothers face unique challenges related to the nature of their job responsibilities, including tight deadlines for projects and professional exams. These can cause additional pressure and stress when mothers often carry the expected and unexpected carer responsibilities of a family.
The Benefits of Supporting Working Mothers
There are many studies that show women are a valuable asset to a business. Fellow Actuary Nicolette Rubinsztein highlights in her book[3] that women “think differently, tend to have more empathy, add more customer focus and can lead to closer and more collaborative teams.”
Some benefits of having working mothers in the team and supporting them is summarised below.
A 2019 Study titled ‘Reframing Motherhood’[4] found that 75% of mothers believe parenthood has made them better leaders as it has made them more empathetic, efficient and respectful of others’ time and their co-workers agreed.
Mothers in the workforce often exhibit greater resilience. This is particularly true for actuarial working mothers as they can face pressure from demanding work deadlines, fixed study requirements and carer responsibilities.
Having working mothers in your team and supporting them helps foster an inclusive culture. According to the 2023 Inclusion@Work Index[5], members from an inclusive culture are six times more likely to report positive impact on mental health from work (57% in inclusive teams, compared to 9% in non-inclusive teams).
Strategies for Leadership Support to Working mothers
Providing a supportive environment for women is important and can significantly enhance the performance of your team and business. So what can leaders do? Some practical tips include
Allow flexible working arrangements and regularly assess effectiveness of the arrangements (The What Women Want Report 2024 found that flexible working was the top consideration for working women).
Remember, the daily administrative tasks of a job typically require the same amount of time, regardless of whether an employee is part-time. Keep this in mind when assigning tasks to all part time employees.
The pathway to transition into and out of parental leave is important. Make sure you:
o Manage expectations of the people that will be back filling in the role when the mother goes on maternity leave
o Manage expectations of the parent returning from leave
Check in more often when mothers first return to work.
o How are they coping?
o Are there things that aren’t working?
o Can the manager connect the employee with other working parents that may have some tips to help them?
Be considerate when arranging team meetings and social functions so that everyone can attend (e.g. a lunch instead of after work drinks)
Be flexible and understanding if things don’t go to plan.
Encourage parents to take “me” time and look after their own wellbeing.
Provide information about any benefits your company provides (e.g. free exercise classes, school holiday program etc.)
Help them set boundaries between work and home, being able to switch off is important.
Ensure they are aware of all leave policies and entitlements. If your leave policy is not competitive, consider advocating for improvements.
Encourage them to delegate and assign tasks where possible (including family duties)
Don’t assume they aren’t interested in career development opportunities because they have children, ask what they want!
Being a working parent is hard, particularly for women. There are really simple things that can be done to make it easier for women to return to the workforce after having a child. Hopefully some of our tips will help leaders support working mothers and help women think about strategies they can use to succeed as a mother and have a successful career.
[1] Fathers and work (aifs.gov.au)
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics (February 2023), Job mobility, ABS Website, accessed 29 April 2024.
[3] Australian Bureau of Statistics (4 November 2022), Childcare still largest barrier to female participation, ABS Website, accessed 29 April 2024.
[4] Nicolette Rubinsztein, Not Guilty (2016)
[5] Let's Put The Motherhood Penalty To Rest — Berlin Cameron
[6] Addressing workplace mental health - Diversity Council Australia (dca.org.au)
