9km for 5 days - Gender Equity movement 2.0

Motherhood is still widely seen as a hindrance to professional success, and this is undeniably the byproduct of a patriarchal rule that has always sought to curb women. We’re huge believers in motherhood being much greater than a penalty on a woman’s career, and we envisage a world where the time women spend away from work raising children is seen as equally valuable as building a business.

We aspire to shift mindsets around motherhood so that women and their employers view it as a legitimate form of professional development. We want to help women reach their full potential while raising children and support employers in retaining valuable talent, breaking the stigma associated with motherhood and reaching gender equity once and for all.

We believe that a documentary exploring the unique skills that accompany motherhood is the best way to set this paradigm shift into motion. In an effort to fundraise for this ambitious project, each member of our team will commit to walking/running 9km for 5 consecutive days from the 24th of October to the 25th of November 2021 -- a tribute to the historic 9to5 movement that brought basic rights for women in the workplace.

While the movement affected considerable change at the time, there's still heaps of progress to be made. Consider the below statistics:

- 9.9%: the gender pay gap in NZ, which sits in 9th position in the Global Gender report

- 45%: the re-employment rate after a decade of raising children for Māori wahine, versus 59% for Pākehā women. (https://www.globalwomen.org.nz/news/motherhood-penalty/)

- 22.5%: percentage of NZX directors that are women

- 4.4%: the average drop in hourly pay once women are re-employed after having children

- 27.8%: the percentage of women who work full-time or are self-employed three years after childbirth, versus 90% of men.

“Overall, Ministry for Women NZ finds that women across all income groups are less likely to be employed after becoming a parent. They also find that the average monthly earnings will fall dramatically for employed women, thanks mostly to a mix of lower hourly wages and fewer hours.”

Sadly, these disparities are not restricted to New Zealand’s borders. We are witnessing gender inequities worldwide that prevent women from obtaining the financial and professional recognition they deserve.

- In Australia, the national gender pay gap is 14% for full-time employees that means there is a difference of $253.60 per week between women and men’s earnings on average in Australia

- 59 days later and it’s Equal Pay Day: marks the additional 59 days women must work from the end of the last financial year to earn the same amount as men.

- in the US, women earn 82 cents for every dollar a man earns - and the gap is even wider for many women of colour.

- in France, men earn 28.5% more than women - the wage gap seats at 9%, for the same position and equal skills and the current crisis only exacerbated an already fragile situation.

Acting now is crucial. The pandemic has set women’s labour force participation back more than 30 years; layoffs and a lack of child care have forced many women out of the workforce entirely.

So if you care about gender equity as much as we do, hit donate and support our efforts to make a change. The documentary will be a springboard for what’s to come -- as a social enterprise, we are on a mission to revolutionise how we perceive and value the motherhood experience.

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A bit more about us:

- Asmeet Hansra (https://www.linkedin.com/in/asmeetsran/)

Hi I’m Asmeet - the professional chameleon. I have adapted and worn different hats in my professional life - from a consultant at a big4 to a product manager at a start-up, and everything in between. And in each one of these companies, I have either faced challenges being a woman and a new mother or have been celebrated. I have worked to try and change the narrative within corporations or have worked with others to help other women and mothers to celebrate their successes, share their stories and empower them with the mindset that they are amazing human beings. My goal is to see that this documentary is used as a powerful tool across the world to change the narrative and mindset of all in the way we view motherhood and mothers.

- Dr. Romas Malevicius (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-romas-malevicius-9b44a064/)

Hello. I’m Romas Malevicius, award-winning lecturer in Sustainability and Ethics and PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) coordinator at the University of Salford. I am a digital artist and passionate about sustainability, marketing and education for sustainability (EfS) expert. Business consultant with 10 years experience in business and management education and community engagement.

- AJ Reid (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-reid/)

Hi there! I’m AJ Reid, a filmmaker, artist, and digital storyteller. A career in digital media has privileged me to an exciting array of productions, exhibits, and now, working on this film. My latest documentary, ‘BAD RIVER,’ screened at numerous festivals around the world and received accolades including the Audience Award for “Best Made in Alaska Short” at the Anchorage International Film Festival. As a documentarian, I approach an array of projects with an open mind & heart and draw upon a diverse skill set to help tell compelling, contemporary stories. I am a passionate advocate of gender equality and my intention with this film is to effect real, systemic change in the way we value mothers. I see the ‘motherhood penalty’ as the final frontier in the fight for gender equity and the documentary will join the fight, guns blazing.

- Claire Prangley (https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-prangley-51165912/)

Hi, I’m Claire (the other one!). My graphic design and marketing career has spanned many industries and roles however the biggest challenge for me professionally has been the transition back to work following my first, second and third child. I’ve had the pleasure of being a stay at home mum for the last 6 years. However, returning to (paid) work has felt like a career re-birth with challenges around job flexibility, self-doubt and lack of support. I would love to see mothers acknowledged for the skill and experience motherhood can offer; helping mothers find more meaningful work. There’s a well-known expression: “If you need something done, ask a busy person.” Well, some of the busiest, most capable workers we know are mothers!

- Claire Thiveyrat (https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairethiveyrat/)

Kia ora, I'm Claire and I’m passionate about helping mothers to find their worth. Over the last four years, I have had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of parents and learning about the unfathomable challenges they face on a daily basis raising children. This has been a humbling experience that has inspired me to showcase to the world what we're missing in our perception of parenthood - an understanding of the transferrable skills and competencies that make parents incredibly valuable individuals, both in the workforce and in society. When I'm not pursuing a dream to make a societal impact, I'm a "Friwi" (French-kiwi) Mum of two daughters, a digital marketer and a French tutor at Northcross Intermediate, Auckland.

"Never forget that it only takes a political, economic or religious crisis for women’s rights to be called into question. These rights can never be taken for granted. You must remain vigilant throughout your life." Simone de Beauvoir.

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash.