By: Mary Beth Ferrante
A version of this article originally appeared on Forbes.com.
Growing up, we were all taught about the glass ceiling. I distinctly remember sitting in a class during my senior year of college called “Women in Leadership.”
We studied the progress women had made in the workplace, the ways women were expected to adapt to a “man’s world,” and, quite honestly, how to join the elusive old boys’ club.
The glass ceiling is a decades-old term, first used in 1984 when Xennials (1977-1985) and older Millennials were still babies themselves. As young girls growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, we were bombarded with images of professional women donning power suits with shoulder pads as they forged a path to success.
It was an arguably dire time for both fashion and women’s careers. What we saw were professional women appropriating masculinity to look the part and be taken seriously in traditionally male-dominated environments—only to be thwarted as they reached the pinnacle.
We carried these images into our education, surpassing men in college graduation rates in 2014, and entered our professional lives believing we would be the generation to break down the glass ceiling once and for all.
Our determination to focus on the progress at the top ignited and fueled our careers, often delaying our desires to start families.
But as we ascended to the heights of our childhood dreams, many women, including myself, found themselves blindsided by the giant wall that rises in the middle of their careers—the maternal wall.
The maternal wall is a form of workplace bias that working mothers encounter, creating significant career obstacles.
Joan C. Williams, a professor of law and author, coined the term to describe the discrimination women face once they become pregnant, take maternity leave, or adopt flexible work schedules.
She warns that ,
“Women who have been very successful may suddenly find their proficiency questioned once they become pregnant, take maternity leave, or adopt flexible work schedules. Their performance evaluations may plummet, and their political support evaporates.”
This bias, deeply embedded in workplace structures and cultural expectations, reinforces traditional gender roles and impedes career progression.
It exists because societal norms still frame mothers as primary caregivers, often assuming they should—or want to—prioritize family over work.
As a result, women encounter barriers that prevent them from even reaching the glass ceiling, let alone breaking through it.
The bias against working mothers extends beyond office politics and into cultural expectations. According to Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends, 60% of Americans believe children are better off with at least one parent at home.
Nearly half of the respondents believe that the home-bound parent should be the mother.
While often well-intended, these beliefs can derail women’s careers.
Managers, believing they are being considerate of a mother’s needs, may deny them opportunities for high-profile projects, networking events, or leadership roles. Recently, a client shared that during her company’s reorganization, her manager excitedly informed her that he had secured her a new, less demanding position with more flexibility.
However, this new role also placed her under an additional layer of leadership—effectively a demotion. When she expressed her disappointment, her manager was shocked that she wasn’t thrilled. This illustrates the common “downshift” that occurs for working mothers.
A report from Goldman Sachs on the gender pay gap highlights how women may appear to “opt-out” or “downshift” their careers, but many times they are being steered into lower-profile, lower-pay, and lower-promotion prospects.
If we don’t address this obstacle head-on, we will continue to see minimal progress and persistent gender inequality. At our current rate, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take another 217 years to achieve gender parity.
We must dismantle the maternal wall inch by inch.
To truly advance gender equality in the workplace, we need systemic change. Here are four key strategies:
If working fathers take parental leave, we can challenge the notion that men are the primary breadwinners and women are the primary caretakers.
Encouraging and supporting fathers to take their full parental leave normalizes the expectation that both parents will take time off for childcare. This reduces hiring and promotion biases that unfairly target women of childbearing age.
Women are still disproportionately responsible for childcare. According to Pew Research Center, about 42% of working mothers have reduced their hours to care for a child or family member, compared to only 28% of working fathers.
Companies must recognize this disparity and provide comprehensive childcare support, such as onsite daycare, childcare subsidies, or backup care options.
Organizations need to acknowledge and address implicit bias against working mothers.
Training managers to recognize and combat maternal bias is crucial. If companies confront these biases head-on, women can pursue career advancement without being sidelined simply for becoming mothers.
Working mothers don’t need fewer responsibilities—they need flexibility. Flexibility isn’t a code word for opting out; it’s an essential strategy to retain female employees.
Companies that balance flexible work arrangements with intentional opportunities for face-time—such as networking events, leadership exposure, and mentorship—create pathways for women to advance while integrating family life.
For working mothers accelerating along their career paths, having a baby and hitting the maternal wall is a shock. While the glass ceiling remains a challenge, the maternal wall introduces unexpected obstacles that require more than just ambition to overcome.
Scaling the maternal wall demands action from managers, companies, and partners at home. By implementing these strategies, we can create an equitable workforce that allows women to reach their full potential.
And once we get women to the top of the maternal wall, it may just be the perfect launching point to propel them through the glass ceiling.