PREGNANT, DUMB AND DEMOTED?
Host of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, 7.30 Leigh Sales was back behind the desk within six months of the birth of her son.
The popular presenter, Virginia Trioli (above) will be the host of next week’s Q&A after the birth of her son just four months ago.
It is unthinkable that either woman would have lost her job or been demoted during her maternity leave.
The news today is that Solomon Lew’s Just Group retail empire has been hit by a sex discrimination lawsuit lodged by a senior marketing manager who claims her job was downgraded while she was on maternity leave.
Helen Allegos alleges Mark McInnes (pictured left), who came to Just Group after resigning as head of David Jones amid a sexual harassment scandal in 2010, left her out in the cold when he recruited new management late last year.
Ms Allegos alleges that in November, while she was on leave from her $190,000-a-year job as general manager of Just Group’s fast fashion group, Mr McInnes downgraded her job because of her sex, her pregnancy and her responsibility to look after her two children and is seeking unspecified compensation – plus a two-month payout if she is found to have been made redundant.
Just Group has yet to file a response to Ms Allegos’s Federal Court application but the company’s general manager of human resources, Rose Phillips, said it denied the whole of her claim and described it as ”opportunistic and without foundation”.
Still before the courts is the case of air traffic controller Kirsty Fletcher in which she has accused senior management at Airservices Australia of viewing pornography at work and of discriminating against female employees, particularly those who became pregnant.
One ASA manager, Peter Holmes, is alleged to have said: “it is well known that women get dumber when they were (sic) pregnant”.
But do they?
Study after study has proven that “baby brain” or “preg head” is a myth.
Not only that, the studies also say pregnancies may actually increase women’s mental abilities.
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25 Responses to this article
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Don Dons July 4, 2012
I recall some years ago at one of Sydney’s elite private boys’ schools when a colleague’s job was ‘restructured’ whilst she was on maternity leave. The motive on that occasion was to do with the forever-present politics and machinations within a ‘boys’ club’ culture. Nothing was done. She returned eventually to another role. I would be very surprised to hear if anything much has changed. Ugly places to work.
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Bec July 4, 2012
I have always thought that my brainpower had to adapt after I had kids. For example I had to leave work by a certain time rather than staying until whenever. Unfortunately some women don’t do the rest of us favors when they say they can’t do things at work because their pregnant (my husband works with a pregnant woman who told him she couldn’t print some work out because ‘I am pregnant’ and she wasn’t joking), Discrmination is wrong without a doubt, but we have to be careful not to perpetuate the myth.
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Megan July 4, 2012
I wonder whether sleep deprivation was controlled for in these studies? I defy any human being, male or female, parent or not, to function normally whilst enduring multiple sleep interruptions every night for months on end…
I do think that priorities and focus certainly change with the first baby, which could potentially present as ‘baby brain’.
My workplace has been very supportive of all my work changes requested since having a family, although I did find that when I was working 3 days a week it was very difficult to maintain a meaningful role. At 4 days a week it works OK professionally, as long as you accept that you’re effectively squeezing in a full-time job in one less day.
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MM July 4, 2012
I’m glad to hear these scientific findings on ‘baby brain while pregnant’ but I’m not alone when I say sleep deprivation after the birth of your child is a major factor in forgetfulness, reduced mental capacity etc. And the science is definitely in on the dreadful effects of sleep deprivation. After three kids I have not had a full night’s sleep in more than five years. On my return to work part-time after my first kid (a shocking sleeper) it took weeks to get back up to full speed; it was even worse after my second child. But oddly enough it was much easier on my recent return to work after the third baby. Perhaps this is because I am already operating at 11 trying to keep everything afloat? Employers often to recognise that mums are often their most efficient workers and time managers.
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Harriet July 4, 2012
I suffered from ‘baby brain’ for two relatively short periods during pregnancy – for about month early on, and for a couple of weeks toward the end. I was studying – and despite having pages of beautifuly written notes to confirm that I’d been to lectures and studied – when it came to exam time, that period was a total mystery. And toward the end of my pregnancy – my brain was coated with teflon and nothing would stick in and I sat my exams six weeks after my baby was born instead of at 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. However, these were comparitively ‘unimportant’ tasks – my brain functioned perfectly reasonably for everything else. Except driving. Brain told me that had to stop at 38 weeks. And that’s a sign of a fully functioning brain if you ask me!
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Casey July 4, 2012
One of my bosses suggested that I terminate my pregnancy if I was serious about working. Apparently, she had suggested it to many other female subordinates over the years. It’s not just men who don’t do women favours, but women as well.
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j July 4, 2012
That is just dispicable and disgusting! I might have ended up in a brawl if someone said that to me!
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LisaF July 4, 2012
Thats shocking! I can just imagine the kind of sterile environment she was trying to promote.
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sam July 4, 2012
After the birth of my second child I went back to work after eight weeks. luckily Ihad a boss who was flexible and for the next four months I worked at home. I managed to Art Direct a magazine and look after a new baby and my daughter who had just started school very successfully.
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Roni Jean July 4, 2012
I was 33 and into my second year of a degree in Business when I became pregnant with my first child. Like Harriet above, my brain turned to porridge. Where I was easily breezing through all the information I had to absorb pre-pregnancy, now I found that my ‘sponge-brain’ had turned into a ‘sieve-head’, and I managed to fail most of my subjects. I deferred my studies. Meanwhile at work, I was the PA to a dynamic MD of a large manufacturing company, and acted in his place when he was away on business, running the administration dept, accounts department, and supervising factory and despatch management. I trained two temps to take my place while on maternity leave. When I returned to work 8 months later, my MD had bought the contracts of both temps from their agencies and installed them into my various positions. I arrived for work and found I didn’t have a chair to sit on, let alone a desk to work on. I ended up with a stack of filing and sharing the reception desk with the receptionist. My MD told me, “I didn’t think you’d want the same responsibilities… now that you’re a mother.” I left shortly after when I became pregnant with my son. I had been with the company for 9 years.
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j July 4, 2012
I fully agree with the other comments about sleep deprivation. There are some patches of the last 15 years – since becoming a mum of 3, that I just cannot remember, usually the mundane stuff, but others – the important things that are crystal clear!
I am definately braver. NOTHING frightens me! I seem to have found my voice and use it, no longer settling for not being involved in decisions that affect my role.
I have suffered discrimination at work, many many years ago, being told that I would never had been given a role if they knew I was planning to have a baby! Ah ha! And then later (before I was allowed to leave for the day) made me sign to extend my mat leave, so that someone else could have my job, which I did, but almost immediately made a few phone calls and rescinded. Spoke loads about the antics of the supervisor at the time- not my fantastic employer, I knew it was against their policies, made me furious and determined to stick to MY plan for MY career.
Mothers bring a whole other skill set and level of compassion to the workforce, as long as they utilise those skills and don’t over extend themselves, everyone benefits! -
Jane Caro July 4, 2012
Retrenched when 4 months pregnant with first child. Could have talked to a lawyer, knew if I did, would never get a job in the industry again.
Motherhood vastly increases your ability – in everything. I always say to mothers when they plead baby-brain because they forgot something that it is hardly surprising they do, given the sheer number of things a mum has to remember. If you remembered 644 things, why castigate yourself for forgetting the 645th? What excuse the bloke with no-one to look after but himself who needs a pa to remind him about everything? Man-brain, perhaps? -
Don Dons July 4, 2012
That is so true regarding Jane’s comment. You go to the Union or get a lawyer in some industries and you can kiss your career good-bye.
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Sarah Hatton July 4, 2012
I was once reprimanded for being in the toilet too long!! I had very bad morning sickness on this particular day, which I explained… but she (yes a female boss) didn’t want to hear a bar of it, thought I was wasting company time. I was dumb struck at her lack of understanding. Maybe I could of threw up on the desk and kept working! Some people let being the boss go to their heads!!
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Em July 4, 2012
It’s called sleep deprivation and exhaustion. I’ve got it. 3 years & counting. I can’t wait for teenagers who won’t get up. They can try & get me up then
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Elle July 4, 2012
I was made redundant whilst on maternity leave. The general manager of the company rescheduled my return to work planning meeting from the office boardroom to my home, supposedly to save me driving in. I should have refused. He sat at my kitchen table holding my 4 month old 3rd child and told me to rethink the nanny I had just hired as they were giving the temp my job as she was cheaper. That was 9 years ago and I am sad to see it is still all to common.
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Julia July 4, 2012
I was retrenched while on maternity leave, and like Jane above, I knew I could have engaged a lawyer but didn’t because of the impact on me getting another job elsewhere. They replaced my role with a male after saying my role was redundant..I found out months later. The boss was a tosser anyway, so a blessing in disguise!
Personally I find women in the workforce with kids are very productive. They know how to multitask and deliver. I’ve met very few if any who take long cruisy lunches and sit around chatting all day. -
RobynMarie July 4, 2012
Boring…this topic has been done to death. Can’t we all just move on please.
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LisaF July 4, 2012
I wasn’t discriminated against because I was pregnant, I was discriminated against because I was already a mother.
I was one of the only females in a senior position and extremely sensitive to declining invitations for meetings after 6pm. I also felt the pressure when being asked to go OS, especially last minute. I never declined because I knew it would work against me in that corporate environment.
When a promotion came up that I was more than qualified for, I applied and was told that as a mother I wouldn’t be considered a viable candidate because I didn’t have enough international exposure. Despite dropping everything at least 5 times a year and getting international exposure!! I left shortly after. The single female who eventually got the role had NO international exposure and fell pregnant within a month of being promoted into that position.
I considered it karma.
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rache July 4, 2012
hmmm. i’m reluctant to bring this up, but when i was pregnant and for the following 12 months breast-feeding, i operated in a complete fog. would forget my keys, my purse, my brain. and quite frankly it was quite a nice space to be in. i could not have done my high-powered job for love or money. all power to leigh and virginia. i couldnt have done it and frankly i loved the hormonal fog while it lasted.
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Benison O'Reilly July 4, 2012
Well done for exploding this myth, The Hoopla. Women are often their worst enemies here, claiming ‘baby brain’ at the slightest provocation. Now we can see there are sinister repercussions to these throwaway lines.
I had 3 pregnancies and can proudly say not a day of ‘baby brain’. Rache, it’s probably more likely your brain fog after pregnancy (and possibly during) was due to sleep deprivation .
BTW About 10% of women suffer depression during pregnancy and it’s thought that some of those claiming ‘baby brain’ are actually depressed. Depression is known to cause memory & concentration problems.
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speccygirl July 4, 2012
interesting theory about depression – I have a history of depression and felt quite down during my two pregnancies – then miscarried at 10 weeks in both cases – which makes you feel even worse!
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speccygirl July 4, 2012
From my experience the baby brain probably comes more from tiredness during pregnancy and after you give birth! But I’m sure each woman is different though.
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Lucy Clark July 5, 2012
I suggest that mothers like Rache, who operated in a fog after having a baby AND enjoyed it (good for her) would have their minds instantly focussed if they chose to go back to work and had to come up with the goods. My bet is that Leigh Sales is bloody exhausted like any new parent, but her need to be razor sharp every night clears the fog for her. Interviewing Tony Abbott probably confuses her more than alleged Baby Brain.
