Dr Bianca Stumbitz: Key challenges of managing pregnancy and new parenthood

Abstract

The transition to parenthood is one of the most impactful processes in working life and the single most important event in the gendering of careers with adverse implications for gender equality. Despite considerable progress towards more ‘family-friendly’ working by large trailblazing UK companies, evidence suggests that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (employing 1-249 staff) lag behind in their recognition of the challenges parents face, and the implementation and promotion of ‘family-friendly’ work options.

Understanding and addressing the challenges in managing new parenthood within an SME context is important because SMEs account for 99.9% of the UK business population. Previous research focuses on experiences of pregnancy, parenthood, and employment in large organisations and thus excludes the majority of workers. SMEs often do not have a dedicated Human Resources department or formal maternity or paternity policies, which can generate inequalities for those juggling work and care. However, less hierarchical structures may also be associated with closer, family-like relationships that influence the level and nature of support provided to expectant and new parents.

This paper draws on data from 40 in-depth interviews with expectant and new mothers and fathers, and 30 in-depth interviews with employers of SMEs, which is part of a larger study on the 'Transition to Parenthood in SMEs' funded under the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Transforming Working Lives Programme of the ESRC. We conceptualise adaptions to new parenthood as a process of mutual adjustment (employer and employee ad hoc bargaining) in the context of gendered organisations with the key characteristics of SMEs (e.g., more informal staff management and resource scarcity). We find that participants experience SME specific work-life reconciliation challenges, but also identify good practice examples that both SMEs and larger workplaces can take forward and learn from.

Speaker

Bianca’s research interests include diversity and inclusion in the workplace, with an emphasis on gender and work-family related issues, as well as working conditions more broadly. She has specialist knowledge on the subject of maternity and paternity workplace policies and practices and has undertaken related research in the UK, Ghana, South Africa and Malaysia. Bianca is currently Principal Investigator on a three-year ESRC-funded study on the Transition to Parenthood in UK SMEs. In another current study she is exploring awareness of menopause symptoms and workplace support in the higher education context. Funders of Bianca’s work have included the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the European Commission. As part of her work, she has been advising multiple stakeholders, including employers, trade unions, government departments, international organizations and NGOs. Bianca leads the Middlesex University Gender & Diversity Research Cluster, the International Committee of the US-based Work and Family Researchers Network, and is a member of the Maternity Protection Committee of the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.