TORONTO – The CEO of an Internet giant’s first decisions in motherhood have stirred up heavy debate.
While Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer basks in the glow of motherhood after giving birth to a baby boy Monday, she’ll be juggling meetings and high stakes planning between feeding times.
Mayer plans to return to work at Yahoo’s Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters in a week or two.
In the meantime, she will work from home.
It’s a contentious decision that has left some women offended and others applauding her move.
Critics allege Mayer’s choice to head back to work just days after giving birth places is handing women “unrealistic” maternity leave plans and pressure to follow in the woman’s footsteps.
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“Working women tend to hold themselves to a pretty high standard, and seeing Mayer’s chosen work-life imbalance might put pressure on all of us to get back to the spreadsheets and clogged inboxes before our bodies and minds are really ready,” an editorial on Slate’s website says.
Fortune magazine, meanwhile, asks readers if a one-week maternity leave is progress in the women’s movement or simply Mayer being a workaholic.
Those in the Twitterverse from pediatricians, mom bloggers and women, made sure they chimed in, too:
To top of water cooler discussion, Mayer’s baby is still without a name.
Like a true online mogul, Mayer saysshe plans to crowd source her baby’s name.
A growing trend, an individual’s choice, Canadian mother and executive says
A Canadian mother and executive at a popular national public relations firm says the move is an individual’s choice that others need to respect.
Laura Cochrane, founder and president of Toronto-based LexPR Canada, says she also returned to work immediately after giving birth.
With her first child, she juggled part-time work with motherhood duties. About five weeks after, she resumed full-time work responsibilities.
The second time, around three years later, she took a day or two off and was “essentially” back to the office by Monday morning.
She asks critics to consider why executives aren’t scrutinized for working through other key milestones in life.
“I’m involved in key decisions, daily activities and I do more than just manage. I’m very hands on and that extends beyond weekends, which is not controversial, it extends to vacations, which is not controversial too,” she told Global News.
“But, again, once you talk about giving birth, it is controversial.”
She noted that parenthood is a different experience for everyone. In her case, child rearing with her second baby was a breeze – her baby sleeps well, was fed easily and was generally a “happy adjusted” baby.
Cochrane says that mothers will face pressure to conform to traditional ideas of maternity leave, but that they should listen to their own bodies first.
“It’s an individual decision and it should be kept that way,” she said.
“In my case, if a person is feeling fine, I don’t think that person has to fall into the trap of feeling guilty. Not every parenting experience is the same and nor does it have to be.”
Her decision-making wasn’t only influenced by her stake in her PR business – she also thought about her family’s interests as well, she says.
She says that making sure she takes the time to work now will free opportunities in the future when her children are older and she’s retired.
“It was a professional and personal decision that I made,” she said.
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