Motherhood labor protections are a human right.
According to the U.S. Census, working mothers make up nearly ⅓ (32%) of all employed women in the labor force. Yet, mothers are 40% more likely than fathers to report that child care issues harmed their careers and about ¼ of working moms say they have turned down a promotion because they were balancing work and parenting.
The way capitalism views motherhood needs to change. Period.
Enter &Mother - a non-profit dedicated to breaking down the barriers that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both career and motherhood.
Founded in 2020 by Olympic medalist Alysia Montaño and advocate Molly Dickens, &Mother’s inception occurred after Montaño published her viral New York Times op-ed, Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby, which highlighted the lack of sponsor support for female athletes choosing to become mothers during their athletic careers.
Stereotyped assumptions of a mother’s capability and value has led to a society that consciously or unconsciously chooses one path for them, rather than elevating both
“Stereotyped assumptions of a mother’s capability and value has led to a society that consciously or unconsciously chooses one path for them, rather than elevating both”, said Montaño. “We envision a culture where motherhood is not a limiting factor in how women succeed professionally or personally.”
Enter Oiselle - now an official Founding Sponsor of &Mother. In addition to a financial contribution, Oiselle is committed to providing legal/consulting fee support to develop boilerplate language for contractual pregnancy and parenting protections for athletes (more to come on that).
In celebration of this partnership, we asked mothers in both Oiselle and &Mother's community to tell us what motherhood means to them:
Angela, children ages 11 & 8
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/angela?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Arnelle, child age 6
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/arnelle?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Cate, child age 4 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/cate?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Ivette, child age 7
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/ivette?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Jennifer, child age 6 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/jennifer?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Jessica, children ages 4 years & 18 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/jessica?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Karla, children ages 6 years & 11 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/karla?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Lyndy, child ages 2.5
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/lyndy?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Rebecca, child age 16
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/rebecca?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Shannon, child age 3
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/shannon?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Stephanie D., children ages 11 & 9
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/stephanie-d?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Stephanie R., children ages 10 years, 7 years, & 10 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/stephanie-r?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Tawnya, children ages 7 & 5
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/tawnya?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Teal, children ages 4 years & 3 months
Link: https://soundcloud.com/oiselle/teal?in=oiselle/sets/mother-audio
Want to get involved with &Mother? Join the mission here.
