The Pregnancy Pause

America is one of the only countries in the world not to mandate paid maternity leave on a national level. The requirement for employers is only 12 weeks - unpaid. And when moms return to the workforce after being pressured out, they apply with "gaps" in their resumes, because there's no standardized job description for maternity leave - and prospective employers can’t legally ask moms about gaps in their job histories. We can’t fix public policy overnight, but there’s one simple stopgap that helps working mothers right now: studies have shown that moms who openly acknowledge time spent on leave have greater chances of being hired. Since these resume gaps have historically been so hard to talk about, we created a company mothers can list on LinkedIn for the duration of their leave: “Mom” at “The Pregnancy Pause.” Because the easier it is for moms, employers and all of America to talk about maternity leave, the sooner we can combat discrimination. Update your resume now: 1. Add your job title as a “Mom” at the company “The Pregnancy Pause” to your LinkedIn profile under “Experience” for the duration of your maternity leave. Explain your experience during maternity leave as it applies to you under “Description.” This could be anything from “Designer of human life” to “Hands-on experience in development.” You know best. Publish your new job, updating your network on this exciting period in your career - and watch the congratulations roll in.