When Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin went into labour with her second child early, she was in the middle of grading her studentsB次元官网网址� work.

B次元官网网址淢y closest friend was telling me to go to the hospital. My partner was like, B次元官网网址楲etB次元官网网址檚 go to the hospital,B次元官网网址� but IB次元官网网址檓 like, B次元官网网址楴o, I have to finish this because once I have this baby, I donB次元官网网址檛 know how IB次元官网网址檓 going to do it,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� the QueenB次元官网网址檚 University associate professor recalled.

B次元官网网址淭his is how wild it can be sometimes because you donB次元官网网址檛 want to feel like oh, IB次元官网网址檓 not doing my work.B次元官网网址�

Adeniyi-OgunyankinB次元官网网址檚 insistence on finishing her marking despite being on the cusp of one of her familyB次元官网网址檚 most important moments was a product of the pressure she and other women feel when juggling motherhood and their careers.

The challenges they encounter form what some call a B次元官网网址渕aternal wall:B次元官网网址� the ways that negative perceptions of mothers in the workforce can block opportunities for career advancement.

For many, the maternal wall crops up when employers and peers start to doubt their ability to do their jobs because theyB次元官网网址檙e also raising kids.

A 2023 report from international non-profit Mothers in Science found one-third of women working in the sciences while raising children had their competence questioned by employers and colleagues after becoming a parent.

But the phenomenon is not contained to a particular field.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 shocking how prevalent it is,B次元官网网址� said Allison Venditti, founder of advocacy group Moms at Work.

You might assume there would be less of it in areas like health care, which have historically employed a higher number of women, but there are examples of it everywhere, she said.

It even affects women who arenB次元官网网址檛 pregnant and donB次元官网网址檛 have kids, Venditti said, because many see them as a B次元官网网址渂reeding horseB次元官网网址� as soon they hit the typical child-bearing years.

B次元官网网址淧eople are looking at you going, B次元官网网址業 wonder when sheB次元官网网址檚 going to have a kid,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Venditti said.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e had conversations with the human resources person when people are looking at layoffs and whatever and theyB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址榃ell, how many more good years does she have left?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

If women have kids, Venditti said they are frequently become the B次元官网网址渄efaultB次元官网网址� for childcare and housework, but their employers often view these responsibilities as a distraction from work. If the demands of child-rearing become too steep, mothers are commonly expected to put their careers aside.

B次元官网网址淲hen couples are having these discussions about whose job to protect B次元官网网址� theyB次元官网网址檙e focusing on the person whoB次元官网网址檚 making more money and that is predominantly men,B次元官网网址� Venditti said.

Statistics Canada found women between the ages of 25 and 54 earned 89 cents for every dollar made by men in 2021.

Those who take time off for caregiving often find the wage gap is even larger because their absence can affect seniority and the opportunities open to them.

Some companies are trying to help with the challenges of motherhood.

Apparel brand Patagonia, for example, provides workers with on-site child care at its headquarters and one of its distribution centres.

Consulting firm PwC offers maternity top-ups for birth mothers, financial support for parents who adopt children, fertility coverage and parental leave coaching aimed at helping workers focus on their family while away and then return to work with their long-term career goals in mind.

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research reimburses individuals with a dependent under the age of 12 for costs associated with childcare when it holds meetings.

However, Adeniyi-Ogunyankin still sees hurdles in areas like research travel.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e going to go away and do research, you canB次元官网网址檛 just go there for a week or two weeks in order to get something substantial,B次元官网网址� said Adeniyi-Ogunyankin, a CIFAR fellow who researches the politics of gender and neoliberal urbanism in two Nigerian cities.

B次元官网网址淭o understand the context, you need to be there for months at a time B次元官网网址� so that becomes challenging when you have kids.B次元官网网址�

SheB次元官网网址檚 contemplating what to do with her kids if she is able to travel to Nigeria. Plane tickets would cost $2,000 per child and sheB次元官网网址檇 have to cover daycare fees to keep one of her kids from losing their spot.

But sheB次元官网网址檚 made her career and child care work several times before.

When she was interviewing for a job while one of her children was a few months old, she heard a common refrain: donB次元官网网址檛 let people know you have a child.

B次元官网网址淚 decided not to do that,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 was like, B次元官网网址業 have a three-month-old, so you need to schedule some breaks in for me.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

She has brought her baby to presentations and dinners during the recruitment process. She figures it was more acceptable because sheB次元官网网址檚 in the gender studies field, but still argues B次元官网网址渨e donB次元官网网址檛 need to make that part of ourselves invisible.B次元官网网址�

Jessica Metcalf, a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar who teaches at Colorado State University, agrees. She strives to be a role model for others aspiring to pursue academia and have kids.

Doing both means sometimes making B次元官网网址渉ard decisionsB次元官网网址� because B次元官网网址渢he reality is I canB次元官网网址檛 do everything,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚 have to do in 40 hours a week, what some people have 50 or 60 hours a week to do,B次元官网网址� she said,noting she canB次元官网网址檛 catch up on work during the weekend because she has to care for her kids then.

B次元官网网址淚 always joke, if I was as efficient as I am now when I was in grad school, I would have finished in, like, half the time.B次元官网网址�

To manage the demands of work and motherhood, Metcalf hired a sleep consultant to smooth out her kidsB次元官网网址� bedtime so she isnB次元官网网址檛 awoken several times in the night, and feverishly uses her calendar.

She sees signs that conditions are improving for working mothers. Her employer, for example, is exploring a pilot project which could offer financial support or temporary caregiving during research periods.

But supporting working moms canB次元官网网址檛 come solely from small policy changes, Venditti said. It has to come from companiesB次元官网网址� operating ethos or from a new generation dramatically improving the work situation for the next one.

B次元官网网址淲hen women run companies, when people start companies because of the way they were treated, magic happens,B次元官网网址� she said.

READ ALSO: