Lactation Room. Credit: Wikimedia / lenarc
There is no denying that women have come a long way in the last century. We’ve earned the right to vote and formally participate in politics, our labor force participation rates have increased dramatically, and our access to higher education and more prestigious career options is unprecedented. This is true across Western contexts, and especially in the United States and the European Union (for comprehensive data on women and society, see a recent Economist glass-ceiling index, which ranks countries on the extent to which they have a women-friendly environment). But what happens when mothers decide to return to work? The trials of maternity leave, and the disparity of what is on offer between the United States and the European Union, are well-documented. This article explores two barriers for women going back to work and the way they are experienced in these two contexts.
Excuse me, where’s your milk bar?
