“Motherhood Is Not a Liability”: What African Working Mothers Want Employers to Understand
“If someone is able to bring life into the world, with all the pain it comes with, and can still show up for work, that person is definitely willing. Even if it’s difficult, they are trying to preserve life.”
— Motherboard Community Member
When we launched the Motherboard community under the Working Motherhood Initiative, the vision was simple but radical - to create a safe, intentional, and practical space where African mothers could find flexible job opportunities, rebuild their careers, and support one another. Not out of charity, but out of necessity.
Too often, motherhood in the African workplace is quietly punished. Across the continent, I’ve met women who are incredibly skilled, driven, and dedicated, but who slowly disappear from professional spaces. Not because they’ve lost their ambition. But because the workplace, as it stands, wasn’t designed to hold space for their full humanity.
Motherboard is our response to that. It is our way of saying: We see you. We believe in your right to work, to thrive, and to be seen as more than just a mother—but never less than one.
Recently, I asked members of our growing community to share some of the biases they’ve faced at work since becoming mothers. What followed was a flood of honest, painful, and powerful stories that deserve to be heard by every employer on this continent.
The Silent Biases We Carry
For many women, the bias isn’t loud. It doesn’t always show up as a direct “no”. Instead, it takes the form of quiet erasure.
“I opted out of a meeting once because my child was sick. Since then, I’ve been forgotten at work.”
— Motherboard Community Member
One mother spoke of being passed over for a work trip because her manager assumed two days away from her baby would be too much. Another said her contract was terminated while she was still pregnant. A third trained her replacement—only to be denied her maternity leave benefits because it was assumed she wouldn’t be strong enough to return.
“My capacity was being measured through the lens of motherhood—not by the results I had delivered.”
— Motherboard Community Member
These are not isolated cases. They are patterns. They point to a deep structural assumption that motherhood makes women less—less available, less focused, less capable.
But that assumption is wrong. And it is costing us brilliance.
The African Workplace Has Evolved. Our Mindsets Must Too.
In many parts of Africa, women are working not just to survive but to lead. They are heading teams, managing businesses, supporting households, and raising the next generation—all at once.
And yet, many African employers continue to hold women to outdated, binary standards. Either you’re a mother or you’re a professional. You can’t be both…at least not fully.
This false choice is rooted in colonial-era structures, patriarchal norms, and outdated HR policies. But in today’s Africa, where innovation, youthfulness, and inclusion are the drivers of development, we can no longer afford to carry these old biases forward.
If we truly want to build an Africa that works for everyone, then we must build a working culture that works for mothers.
“Just because one woman can ‘manage it all’ doesn’t mean every woman should be expected to. We are not all living the same realities.”
— Motherboard Community Member
What Employers Must Understand—and Do Differently
Let’s be clear. African mothers are not asking for handouts. They are asking for recognition, respect, and room.
Here’s what that looks like:
End the assumptions. Start real conversations.
Ask mothers what they need. Don’t make choices on their behalf “for their own good.”Design for flexibility that reflects African life.
From unreliable childcare systems to extended family obligations, African mothers navigate complex realities. Flexible work isn’t a perk. It’s a path to productivity.Audit your culture, not just your policies.
Are women penalized for caregiving? Are promotions quietly withheld? Does your workplace celebrate resilience—or just pretend it’s not needed?Affirm, don't sideline.
Treat motherhood as a training ground for leadership. Decision-making, empathy, crisis management, time discipline—these are boardroom skills born in the nursery.Listen to us. Include us. Stand with us.
Don’t wait for a legal challenge to do the right thing. Center dignity and equity now.
If you are an employer reading this, ask yourself honestly:
What do you believe about mothers?
Do your decisions reflect that belief?
Motherhood is not a liability. It is not a delay. It is not a detour. It is a part of life. Sometimes heavy, sometimes chaotic, always profound.
And if we can learn to treat it with respect, if we can redesign work in ways that embrace (not erase) this truth, then maybe, just maybe, we’ll create a new kind of African workplace. One that doesn’t just include mothers because it must, but values them because it should.
