BCBusiness

The Motherhood Penalty 27 B C B U S I N E S S . C A J U N E 2 0 24 Vancouver," Tisshaw laments. "We're seri- ously worried about what might happen when some of ours retire." But the consumer demand doesn't appear to be going anywhere, in large part because of the versatility of the dresses. "Brides can feel good about getting their bridesmaids to buy them, because they can be used for other things," Tisshaw says. "A lot of the dresses out there are one- and-done. These can have so many other purposes." But having working partners means that, more often than not, Tisshaw and Johansen are lugging strollers and carriers through the company's facilities. A couple of years ago, Tisshaw took her then-two- month-old on a business trip to L.A. and did the same recently at the opening of the second Toronto location with her youngest. And while one wonders if it might be easier to just sell it off (they have received interest from investors, unsurprisingly) and lean into family life for a few years, that's decidedly not the plan. "There are two ways to build: if you want to own the company forever, or if you have an eye toward selling it," says Johan- sen. "There are things you do if you're leaning either way. We've done it to own it forever. And that's what we want to do." A report from Vancouver-based Maturn and Montreal's The Brand Is Female entitled Expecting More: The Motherhood Penalty and Its Impact on Canadian Women in the Workplace shows that, even as politicians like B.C. Premier David Eby talk about closing the gender gap and increasing daycare spaces so that more parents can get back to work, there is still a lot more to be done. Of the over 1,000 Canadian women surveyed, nearly half of employed mothers were dissatis- fied with their maternity leave support and a third considered leaving their jobs due to inadequate support, according to the report. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that an overall transition and communications plan would have made their transition to maternity leave and return to work better, while 49 percent reported that the most challenging part of maternity leave related to their career was the feeling of having to prove themselves upon their return. Another 35 percent said the most challenging part was the fear of their organization sidelining them. "Our study exposes a critical gap and missed op- portunity in our workplaces," said Jen Murtagh, co-founder of Maturn, in a release. "The challenges for women during maternity leave go beyond individual experiences; they perpetuate gender disparities, harming employees and employers. We want to galvanize employers to implement strategies that foster a workplace environment where mothers are not only supported but can truly thrive in their professional and personal lives." In terms of the childcare issue, just 6.2 percent of respondents said their workplace offered child- care, while 60 percent said that better childcare support would have made their transition back to work easier. i S t o c k / m e li t a s ; s o r b e t t o

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