In this interactive session, presenters used their (vastly) different experiences as new mothers at 5+ institutions to examine relevant issues. You can learn about new ideas such as “onboarding” new parents, and explore creative strategies to ensure museums have systems in place to achieve both what’s best for the museums and for their staff. This presentation focuses on parenthood, but conversations will apply more broadly to any work/life balance.

1. Motherhood and Museum
Professionals
Creating Environments Supportive
of Work/Life Balance
Glenda Perry, Staffing Coordinator, SFMOMA | Lindsey Snyder, Museum Educator/PhD Student, UBC
Teresa Valencia, Director of Curation and Education, Iolani Palace | Thea Block, Family Life Educator

2. Session Outline
1. Introductions
2. Status of Working Mothers
3. Issues for Museum Professionals as
Mothers
4. Flexible Working Strategies
5. Inspiration from SFMOMA
6. Questions, Comments, and Discussion

3. Who’s in the audience?

4. What we’ll start a
conversation about...
● Statistics about working
mothers/the modern
workplace
● How motherhood affects
women’s careers
● Maternity leave policies
● Flexible work scheduling
● Community building for
working mothers

5. …what we wish we
had time for...
● More about how race is an
additional factor in
motherhood and careers…
○ Chat with Teresa about
this!
● Specific laws in specific
states…
○ Any California
questions, talk to
Glenda!
● Specific strategies for
organizational change…
○ Ask Lindsey about
Affirmative Inquiry!
● Family Life Education
programs that can increase
social health…
○ Talk to Thea for more!
● And so much more!

6. Meaning-making
through
Narratives
(A.K.A. Why our
“introductions” are going
to take 20 minutes and why
that’s valuable…)
Stories are effective for learning.
➔ Engage us and stay with us
➔ Forge connections between listeners,
between people, and between idea
➔ Contain multiple meanings, allowing for
complex ideas
➔ Move beyond the abstract
➔ Work for auditory, visual, and
kinesthetic (or “feeling”) learners
➔ Are remembered more accurately
➔ Make the topic/teller more
approachable
Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning, 2017
“What Makes Storytelling so Effective for Learning?”

7. What themes
“stick” for you?
Use the sticky notes to
write short phrases about
the issues that “stick”
for you in these stories.
One idea per sticky - use as many as
you like - we’ll collect them later.

8. Lindsey Snyder
Museum Educator
PhD Student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
Mother of Rosemary (5), Damien (4), Emery (18 months)

10. Emery’s First
WMA Conference

12. Rosemary’s first day volunteering

13. My YouTube
Channel of choice
for pumping

14. Rosemary’s first
AAM Conference

16. First day of school
(PreK and PhD!)

17. Pumping
in Class

19. Emery
networking
at WMA

20. Emery at a Museum Educator’s Meeting

22. THEMES/ISSUES FROM LINDSEY’S STORY:
➔ Staggered return to work
➔ Extension of 12 week leave
➔ Non-traditional work week (4x10)
➔ Space for pumping at work
➔ Pumping as “time away” from work
➔ Pumping as a task completed in a (semi) public space
➔ Museum career = less important career (moved for
husband’s job, twice)
➔ Low pay for museum professionals
➔ High cost of child care
➔ Moving = Need for paid child care (versus family support)
➔ Personal/Professional choices for social/emotional health
➔ Lack of benefits for part time workers
➔ Extended job search time
➔ Lack of flexible working schedule
➔ Working from home as appropriate for tasks
➔ Bringing children to work
➔ Specialized knowledge (only one who could teach zoo
class)
➔ Further schooling as way to continue career during
“parenting break”
➔ Children at conferences/events

23. Teresa Valencia
Director of Curation and Education
Friends of the Iolani Palace, TOWN NAME, Hawaii
Mother of Aiden (2.5)

25. Iolani Palace Employee Handbook
Hawaii Pregnancy Leave
Female employees unable to perform the duties of her position due to
pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions for a reasonable period
of time as determined by the employee’s physician will be granted unpaid
leave. Prior to onset of the unpaid leave, the employee must submit a
physician’s certificate stating estimated commencement and termination dates
of the leave. Prior to returning from her leave, the employee must submit a
physician’s certificate approving her return to work. Upon timely return to
work, the employee will be reinstated to her original job, or to a position of
comparable status and pay, without loss of seniority and privileges. During
such leave, employees may qualify for temporary disability benefits or sick
leave benefits to the same extent as any other employee.
The Friends of Iolani Palace does not qualify for
Family Medical Leave Act.

27. Maternity Leave
Temporary Disability….
55% of pay
No family leave. My
husband did not have the
opportunity to take time
off without needing to
use vacation hours. He
returned to work the day
after our son was born.

28. The best laid plans….
What was going to
happen now?

29. Flexible
working
schedule
I was in
constant
communication
with my fellow
staff about my
schedule.

30. “I’m borrowing
the office…
please come
back later.”
Returning to Work

31. Hawaiʻi Museums Association - Museum Mamas Hui
Social meetups
and a Facebook
page for
sharing
resources with
each other

32. Aiden (now 2 ½ years
old) attends an Early
Learning Center 5
days a week while I
work Monday-Friday.
And he loves it! No
(well, maybe a little)
mom guilt over this
decision.

33. THEMES/ISSUES FROM TERESA’S STORY:
➔ Pregnancy alongside other life changes (finishing school,
moving, etc.)
➔ Establishing “on/off” times
➔ Small organizations not eligible for FMLA
➔ Both parents working at same organization
➔ Shared office space for pumping
➔ Unclear policy
➔ Lack of policy
➔ Special permission from supervisor
➔ Involving museum board in decision-making regarding
flexible scheduling, etc.
➔ Lack of institution-wide change - just a “one time” sign
off
➔ Using temporary disability in lieu of FMLA
➔ Bringing children to work
➔ Higher insurance costs for children at workplace
➔ Maternal guilt over childcare
➔ Using shared motherhood experiences for community
building across organizations
➔ Mama’s Hui (community group)
➔ Use of social media to connect mothers
➔ Need for in-person connections

34. Glenda Perry
Staffing Coordinator
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
Mother of Nico(2.5)

36. THEMES/ISSUES FROM GLENDA’S STORY:
➔ Delaying pregnancy for financial reasons
➔ Coordinating working/childcare schedules with
spouse/co-parent
➔ Need for flexibility to accommodate for spouse/co-
parent’s schedule
➔ Other big things in life can happen at the same time as
pregnancy/having a baby (husband’s broken leg)
➔ System requiring “make up” for “trades” in schedule
➔ Health issues during early pregnancy
➔ Access to reliable/safe transportation during pregnancy
➔ Physical and mental strain of pregnancy
➔ Open communication with supervisor
➔ Communication with supervisor during leave
➔ Determining what aspects of a job are truly necessary to
do on-site and what can be done remotely
➔ Working with managers to prepare them to help staff
during a leave of absence
➔ Viewing a return to work after a leave of absence as a
time for “onboarding” (similar to a new hire’s gradual
increase in responsibility)
➔ Creating a community of mothers/new parents within the
museum for support

37. Thea Block
Family Life Educator
Self-Employed, based in Portland, Oregon
Mother of Linus (4 months)

38. ● Masters in Family Studies
(MAFS) from Fuller Theological
Seminary’s School of
Psychology
● Certified Family Life Educator
(CFLE) from the National
Council for Family Relations
(NCFR)

39. ● Lived in New York City, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA
● Currently live in Portland, OR

40. Wife to Jeff (Lindsey’s brother!) - married 7 years

41. Mom to Linus (age 4 months!)

42. Museums were a large part of my education during my early years as a homeschooler who traveled often with my family. I
learned history, art appreciation, geography, science, politics, languages, botany, zoology, sociology, anthropology from the
museums I visited. This formed in me a deep appreciation for what museums are capable of in the lives of children and adults.

45. -Met my husband
-Many dates at
zoos and
museums around
Chicago

46. -Introduced to Lindsey, and
began to work as a contractor
at the Field as an educator for
“Dozin’ with the Dinos”
overnights and BoyScout
Badge Days.

47. National Council for Family
Relations Conference
7 weeks pregnant!
Motherhood and
Work-Life Balance

48. Working at home
while on bedrest

49. 36 weeks!
(5 days before Linus was born)

50. Complications with early baby
Modified/Flexible schedules
FMLA - guaranteed not lose
your job and take 12 weeks off,
no payment
Paternity Leave
-5 weeks (3 weeks PTO,
2 weeks unpaid)

51. Why care about
work-life balance?

52. THEMES/ISSUES FROM THEA'S STORY:
➔ Part time “contractor” work for museum jobs
➔ No benefits for “self-employed contractors”
➔ Bedrest during pregnancy
➔ Working from home during pregnancy
➔ Pre-term baby
➔ Nursing complications
➔ Need for two parents on leave at same time
➔ Inability to have a lengthy leave for both parents because
it would be unpaid/use up all sick/vacation time
Pass sticky notes with ideas to end of aisle and up to presenters.
Keep sticky notes handy and write down any additional questions
or topics to bring up during the Questions, Comments, Discussion
portion.

53. Status of Working Moms
Creating Environments Supportive
of Work/Life Balance

54. 71.5%
of women with children under the age of 18 are employed (or
are looking for work)
This number is rising each year.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018

55. 78%
of employed mothers work full-time
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018

56. 14%
of American workers have access to employer-sponsored paid
family leave
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016

57. The US is the only developed
nation with no paid leave
The US is the only member of the 36 countries in the
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
with no national policy mandating paid maternity leave for
workers.

58. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave
*Guarantees that employees who have worked full-time for one year at companies with 50+
employees are granted up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job protection and continuation
of medical benefits to care for a baby or an ill family member.

59. 9 States offer paid Family/Med Leave
California, Connecticut, DC, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island,
and Washington have laws requiring paid leave for family or medical issues in effect or in
process.

60. Our workplace policies were meant for a different time:
● Many policies and structures are outdated, reflecting a
different economy and gender-based spheres of work.
● Our societal norms and later age of childbearing means
women are having babies and careers at the same time.
● Dual-earner families are often a necessity.
● The high costs of childcare and lack of multigenerational
family support leaves parents with few options and little
flexibility for care.
● Our globalized world means internet is universally
accessible so work-from-home options are more feasible.

61. 48%
of (heterosexual) married-couple families had both husband
and wife employed (dual-earner couples)
Research, demographics, and cultural trends suggest this will
continue to be the dominant American family form.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015; Handbook of Work-Family Integration, 2008

62. Paid leave pays.
-significantly reduces attrition rates
-attracts better talent
-improves morale and productivity
-attracts consumers and improves the brand
-improves health outcomes of mother and child
-reduces stress and rates of depression for new mothers
-keeps working mothers engaged in the workforce
Boston Consulting Group, 2017

63. 50%
fewer mothers employed at Google quit after maternity leave
when paid leave was expanded from 12 weeks to 18 weeks
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018

64. 83%
of women consider it be extremely important that they work
for an employer who both understands and respects their work-
life integration priorities
The Return-to-Work Report

65. Mothers who reduce their work commitments for children
damage their occupational attainment
Even if they resume a more career-oriented focus later, they
have often damaged their long-term occupational attainment
and have reproduced gender stratification.
What can institutions and companies do to keep women in the
workforce while raising children?
Becker & Moen, 1999

66. $15,000
The average cost of full-time center-based care per year.
Only 10% of early childhood providers across the U.S. are
considered high-quality.
Center for American Progress

67. Benefits to family friendly policies for companies
-Retain valuable employees
-Avoid direct and indirect costs of turnover:
● it costs 20% of employee’s salary to replace her
● consistency of corporate knowledge
● productivity losses
Center for American Progress, 2012

68. 92%
of surveyed companies with paid family leave policies
reported a positive effect or no effect on profitability
Many manage the costs of paid leave through thoughtful design
to fit their business’ context.
Boston Consulting Group, 2017

69. Why museum professionals leave the field:
1. Pay too low
2. Other
3. Work-Life balance
4. Insufficient benefits
5. Workload / better positions (tie)
6. Schedule didn’t work
Write-in answers included no FMLA, no maternity leave, had a
child and couldn’t afford childcare, and expectations that
exceeded work-life balance.
Informal survey through American Alliance of Museums, 2017 (1,000 respondents)

70. Reasons moms decide to keep working or quit:
1. “A family-friendly schedule”
2. Desire to be home with kids as much as possible
3. High cost of childcare makes paid work not worthwhile
Informal survey through The Mom Project, 2018

71. What are creative policies for museums that
both give working mothers flexibility and profit
their institutions?

72. How family-aware policies help mothers:
-Ability to schedule around doctors appts, sick days,
school/day-care drop-off and pick-up times, and attend
important children’s events
-Ability to arrange for alternative childcare options
(spouse, family member, less time and money overall)
-Ability to job-share (two employees sharing FT job), attend
to medical issues or attachment issues through staggered
back-to-work, or

73. Effective Family Leave Policy
-Reflects the company’s values.
-Considers that amount of time
provided to the employee is not the
only value. Flexibility counts!
-Sets the example at the top. There
must be acceptance and use of the
policy throughout the company for
it to make a difference.
-Develops support systems for
employee transitions, i.e. HR
communications, checklists for
transitions for managers.
-Choose metrics to measure success.
Boston Consulting Group, 2017

74. Motherhood in
Museums & the Workplace
Female Leadership & the Motherhood Penalty

75. Museums as a Pink Collar Profession

76. 2018 Mellon Report

77. 2018 Mellon Report: Gender Statistics

78. 2018 Mellon Report: Intellectual Leadership Positions

79. 2018 Mellon Report: Race/Ethnicity Statistics

80. Equality vs. Equity

81. Female Leadership in Museums

82. Motherhood Penalty and the Fatherhood Bonus

83. The Motherhood Penalty

84. Maternal Wall

85. Career Tree

86. Parenthood + Leadership

87. What can you do?

88. Time at work, time at home
Negotiating healthy work/home boundaries and
confronting a culture of “presentee-ism”
(being present at work for the sake of it)

89. “Waiting” 2017 by Emma
https://english.emmaclit.com

90. “Waiting” 2017 by Emma
https://english.emmaclit.com

91. “Waiting” 2017 by Emma
https://english.emmaclit.com

92. “Waiting” 2017 by Emma
https://english.emmaclit.com

93. Flexible Working
Employee controls
when and/or where
they work
Schedule control:
➔ Change timing of work
➔ Fluctuate hours worked each week
➔ Accumulate hours for days off
➔ Hours calculated throughout year
rather than weekly
➔ Compressed hours (e.g. 4 days x 10
hours)
➔ Job sharing
Telecommuting (Work Offsite)

94. Flexible working =
mothers keep working
Women who had the ability to work from home when needed and
those who used a flexible schedule were MUCH LESS LIKELY to
significantly reduce their working hours after childbirth
Women’s employment patterns after childbirth and the perceived access to and use of
flextime and teleworking. Human Relations. (2017)

95. Others using flexible
working reduces stigma
Women who used a flexible schedule prior to childbirth were
more likely to use this after having children - may be
company-wide reduced fear of the “flexibility stigma”
Women’s employment patterns after childbirth and the perceived access to and use of
flextime and teleworking. Human Relations. (2017)

96. Use is more important
than perceived access
Perceived access to flexible working is not sufficient to
support mothers in returning after childbirth, work/home
benefits are only seen in the use of flexible working.
Women’s employment patterns after childbirth and the perceived access to and use of
flextime and teleworking. Human Relations. (2017)

97. More flex =
more work?!
● Work/home boundary
blurs
● Multi-tasking
● Work intensity and
home intensity BOTH
INCREASE

98. Decrease in performance
reducing issues
Flexible working can lead to a decrease of performance
reducing issues such as sickness or other issues that would
take time/focus away from work.
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

99. Increase in productive
working hours
Flexible working allows employees to work during a their most
productive hours, leading to increased quality of work in the
same number of hours.
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

100. Vocation rather than
employment
Certain types of work may be considered “a calling” more than
“a job” and lead to increased working hours.
‘If you put pressure on yourself to produce then that’s your responsibility’: Mothers’ experiences of maternity leave and
flexible work in the neoliberal university. Gender Work Organizations. (2019)

101. “Autonomy paradox” =
spiraling into 24/7 work
“Autonomy paradox” can occur when an employee has control of
their working hours/works from home. This is a “collective
spiral of escalating engagement, where they end up working
everywhere/all the time.”
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

102. “Gift exchange theory” =
working more to say thanks
“Gift exchange theory” posits that employees feel they must
reciprocate for the “gift” of a flexible work schedule, and
thus work more hours as a way to “pay back” their employer.
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

103. Off-site work can mean
“back door” overtime
Employers can take advantage of the lack of a time
clock/physical presence to require employees work more hours.
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

104. Production-based vs.
family friendly
Work intensification leading to increased unpaid overtime
found to be related to production-based flexible schedules
NOT family friendly flexible schedules*
Flexible working and unpaid overtime in the UK: The role of gender, parental and
occupational status. Social Indicators Research. (2018).

105. No evidence of flexible
workers working less
No evidence of family friendly scheduling leading to less
work hours, and work may in fact be of greater qualitative
intensity in the same number of hours.
Gender, flexibility stigma, and the perceived negative consequences of flexible working in
the UK. Social Indicators Research. (2018)

106. Flexible working may
increase loyalty
Employees using family-friendly flexible working may be more
committed to their work and less likely to leave their
workplace, which provides benefits to the company over time.
Doing more with less? Flexible working practices and the intensification of work. Human Relations. (2010)
Flexible working and performance: A systematic review of the evidence for a business case.
International Journal of Management Reviews. (2011)

107. Boundary Theory
How do people negotiate
the work/home interface?
Do you seek work/home integration
or work/home segregation?
People create symbolic boundaries by
classifying activities, events, places, and
people in categories to simplify the world in
which they live.

108. Using various
boundaries to reduce
work/home conflict

109. Use technology to filter
Take advantage of technology to increase your ability to
filter tasks.
Technology-assisted supplemental work and work-to-family conflict: the role of instrumentality
beliefs, organizational expectations and time management. Human Relations (2010)

110. Use technology to keep
in touch
Consider how family members can/should contact you during
working hours and vice versa with employees/supervisors.
Technology-assisted supplemental work and work-to-family conflict: the role of instrumentality
beliefs, organizational expectations and time management. Human Relations (2010)

111. Use technology to
integrate or segregate
Thoughtfully consider whether to integrate your personal and
work phone, email account, etc.
Technology-assisted supplemental work and work-to-family conflict: the role of instrumentality
beliefs, organizational expectations and time management. Human Relations (2010)

112. Put time in two different
“bank accounts”
Debit or credit “time” into your work “bank account” or home
“bank account” - know that “spending patterns” will be
different in each.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

113. Synchronize tasks
Consider what tasks can be accomplished simultaneously to
maximize time.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

114. Establish “on/off” times
Determine with your family and your company what hours are
dedicated to work/home. Provide as much consistency as you
are able.

115. Find respite
Temporarily isolate yourself from both work and home demands.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

116. Close a “door” on your
work environment
For flexible working from home, use symbolic physical objects
to establish a clear distinction between work/home.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

117. Use objects as physical
reminders of work/home
Place objects from home (e.g. child artwork) in your work
environment as a physical reminder of your priorities. Use
changes of clothing as a physical reminder of your “work”
time or “home” time.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

118. Use other people as
“border keepers”
Recruit staff or family members to assist you in filtering
“distractions,” triaging tasks, or preserving established
borders.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

119. Decide if any boundaries
are “permeable”
For instance, on what topics should a family member/staff
member connect with you immediately rather than respecting
“on/off” times.
Balancing borders and bridges negotiating the work-home interface via boundary work
tactics

120. Communicate!
As incongruence between worker/family or worker/company
increases work/home conflict increases. Set expectations.
Then re-negotiate those expectations.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

121. Confront boundary
violators
Call out others (or yourself!) when boundaries have been
crossed. Determine how to avoid this in the future.
How do working mothers negotiate the work-home interface?
Journal of Managerial Psychology. (2015)

122. Nuts and Bolts
and New Ideas
Basic information about leave and new ideas for
supporting working parents

123. Leave of Absence
(LOA)
➔ Understand the labor laws for LOA in
your state
➔ Ask your HR department about LOA
policies
➔ Understand the difference between
amount of time off and amount of paid
time off
➔ Can you integrate vacation and sick
time with your state disability
insurance (SDI) payment

124. Leave of Absence Checklists
For staff member going on leave:
➔ Build a calendar that explains time off
vs. paid time off
➔ Have a checklist before you start leave
➔ Have a checklist for when you are on
leave
➔ Have a checklist for returning to work
For the manager:
➔ Have a checklist for supporting the
person going on leave
➔ Have a checklist for supporting the
person when returning from leave

125. Leave of Absence Glossary (includes some specific to California)
CFRA – California Family Rights Act
EDD - Employment Development Department
FMLA – Family Medical Leave Act
LOA – Leave of Absence
PDL – Pregnancy Disability Leave
PFL – Paid Family Leave
PPL – Paid Parental Leave
SDI – State Disability

126. Training managers to
support people on leave
How can supervisors (or other staff) support people going on
leave? What would this look like at your institution?

127. “Onboarding” parents
returning to work
Should someone returning from a 3 month leave (that includes
all the stress/lack of sleep/etc of a new baby!) be expected
to jump in full steam back to work? What might “onboarding”
for a parent look like at your institution?

128. Creating a parent
group for support
Creating a support group of parents within the
workplace/across workplaces is one way to continue to support
employees as parents. What are other ways your institution
might support parents and those seeking greater work/life
balance?

129. Questions, Comments,
Discussion
Email LSnyder1222@gmail.com for a link to a
Google Site (includes powerpoint + more)