⚠️ “𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝘂𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 3𝗽𝗺.”
And just like that - another myth is born.
Backed by zero data, but plenty of prejudice.
The article may refer to parents but let’s be honest, we know who bears the brunt of this narrative.
With women still holding the primary responsibility for caregiving in most households, this kind of rhetoric doesn’t just undermine individuals -
It chips away at the credibility of women in the workforce.
And here’s why that’s dangerous:
↳ It fuels biased decision-making at leadership level
↳ It creates mistrust in remote working models
↳ It pushes high-performing women out of the pipeline
↳ It limits the talent pool for no strategic reason
This isn’t just unfair.
It’s bad business.
Let’s be honest, this isn’t about productivity.
This is about perception.
Because if I removed the names, genders, and family status from a performance report and just showed two sets of outputs?
Most leaders wouldn’t be able to tell who the parent is.
But the moment you reveal it's a mum working remotely?
↳ The assumptions flood in.
↳ The credit drops off.
↳ The bias kicks in HARD.
And that’s the issue.
We don’t judge the output -
We judge the circumstances behind the output.
But here’s what I know from years of fixing broken leadership structures;
When a woman is juggling a household, nap schedules, feeding times, school runs AND still delivering -
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵.
Studies show mothers experience stress levels equivalent to 2.4 full-time jobs (Welch’s, 2018).
So if she’s still showing up and performing?
That’s not a risk.
That’s resilience.
But collectively, we created a system where a woman can match or exceed her peers in performance -
and still be side-eyed for signing off before 5.
You don’t trust the numbers.
You trust the narrative.
And that’s why these headlines are dangerous.
They aren’t just throwaway quotes.
They’re weapons of bias dressed as “workplace insight.”
So how do I tackle this for my clients?
↳ We strip back the optics and bias
↳ We measure by output, not hours
↳ We redesign reviews that don’t punish parenting
Because HR leadership isn’t about watching the clock
It’s about watching the culture.
And that's why I'll always speak about women's workplace rights and issues, for MEN (and women). Because women's rights = everyone's business.
Have you read this The Telegraph article by Sam Brodbeck? What’s your take - is this a reality or a perception problem?
♻️ REPOST to help your network
▶︎ Follow Tina S. Rahman for more HR and leadership mindset posts!
📣 Test your leadership abilities for a FREE report and all of my infographic resources to go from Labyrinth ➔ Leader
https://lnkd.in/eguiG_pU
Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.
