September 2016

Currently motherhood exists outside the sphere of net worth measurements, except as a cost in sick days and maternity leave from paid work, or as a career-stopper for all those degrees that go “nowhere”. Although in the bigger picture motherhood could be seen as adding value, as a solution to national ills, health expenditure and personal and societal heartache, I couldn’t wait for central government to wake up to this before I took action, my kids would have left home by then. If I couldn’t change government approach to social policy I figured I would have to change my approach…

Why is it that motherhood is an anomaly in our social structure? Why is motherhood such an under-mined, invisible asset and not treated like the golden resource that it is? Because it’s value is immeasurable, not able to be monetized? Does it only count if it can be boiled down to its net worth? Perhaps motherhood is outside the box because it was there before the box was built, and the blokes that built the box just took it for granted. Mothering is like the sunset; important, always been there, we need it, we love it, it’ll keep happening regardless….

“…there are invisible problems all around us, ones we can solve. But first we need to see them, to feel them.” —TONY FADDELL, CEO, NEST Many contemporary mothers, like me, have had specialized educations, successful careers, incomes and aspirations when they become mothers. We’re achievers, we want to be our best at whatever we do. Motherhood runs counter to so much of the success indicators our society measures by. Whether we return to paid work and juggle work hours alongside the demands of family life, or work at home full-time raising our children, our lives suddenly have a different priority…