Employers urged to accommodate working mothers

Blair Rose, Vice President of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) Youth Arm, recently spoke on ABWU’s podcast series: The Workers’ Podcast. During the podcast, Rose expressed her concern about the challenges working mothers face when trying to balance their career and motherhood.

She stated that mothers have to perform crucial care functions for their infants and often face disadvantages in the workplace due to these unavoidable commitments.

Rose lamented that motherhood, which is essential for life, is often seen as a liability in the workplace, and working mothers are punished for it.

She pointed out that most workplaces on the island have no accommodations for mothers to express milk in between feedings, making it hard for them to take care of their infants while working.

However, the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union has committed to working with employers to develop a policy where mothers will be provided breaks and a safe, private room for breastfeeding or expressing milk.

Rose emphasized that the requested accommodations were unlikely to significantly disrupt normal work activities and would only require a small private area and a curtain in many cases.

She added that the support provided to working mothers would make them feel valued and appreciated, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

Rose also noted that companies in the US and UK have made significant progress on this issue, providing comfortable spaces, an allotment of time, and even daycare facilities in some cases.

She encouraged female workers everywhere to amplify their voices on issues that affect them and join UNI Global’s “3 M’s” campaign, which highlights the impact of menstruation, maternity, and menopause on working women.