“The Pregnancy Pause”

We knew we couldn’t fix American public policy overnight, but there’s one simple truth that can help women right now: according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania Law Review [Something to Talk About: Information Exchange Under Employment Law. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 165, 2017], working moms who openly acknowledge time spent on leave have a greater chance of being hired. Since these resume gaps have historically been so hard to talk about, we created a company women can simply list on LinkedIn for the duration of their leave: “Mom” at “The Pregnancy Pause.”

To get people talking, our execution had to ensure the work was as useful and accessible as possible. This began with its home. We chose LinkedIn, the world’s largest platform for career-building, so that we could reach, and assist, a wide swath of working moms on their home turf. This made the Pregnancy Pause, for all intents and purposes, a real company for moms to cite.

But just making a company wasn’t enough. We also created a toolkit for people to build their own resumes, a dedicated phone line for potential employers to call, and an educational video to raise awareness and incite action.

The Pregnancy Pause has provided tangible help for moms looking to return to work - with 1600 women across 33 states and 20 countries adding it to their resume.

But the real impact we achieved was the conversation we fueled in culture. To date, the Pregnancy Pause has been featured on the likes of Scary Mommy, Bravo, The Huffington Post, PopSugar, The Mother List, Market Watch, and Romper, achieving a total of 6 Million PR impressions. Cultural leaders have endorsed the project, including Cindy Gallop, while companies as diverse as Lifetime and Morgan Stanley have contacted us to make the Pregnancy Pause a bigger educational platform.

By starting a conversation, as well as providing an active tool to help, the Pregnancy Pause is making a powerful contribution to making it easier for moms to re-enter the workforce and achieve fulfillment in their career.