Bumps and the Boardroom

Aim

We want to create an online hub to revolutionise the way mothers and businesses grow together and reduce maternity discrimination.

What's the main Aim? 

Our aim is to help business to prosper and mothers to lead. 

We want to positively affect the lives of at least 100,000 women and those around them through providing clear information, support and guidance to men, women and business to manage maternity differently and value its potential. 

Is this YOU?

Every year thousands of talented women delay their plans to start a family or end their career when they choose to have a baby. 

70% of mothers who return to work leave their jobs because they find it impossible to combine a career and family life*. 

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Our Big WHY?

We cannot solve the worlds problems with the same level of thinking that created them. The transition to motherhood opens up a huge opportunity for growth which we currently undervalue in business. 

Girls outperform boys at school and university and show equal if not more talent and potential yet 46% believe when a woman has a baby she becomes less committed to her job whereas 29% believe a man becomes more committed. 

We know having women on boards and at senior levels through-out all business and industries, increases performance and profits yet it is still the accepted norm for women to step down and men to step up. 

Some familes are blending roles and sharing responsibilties at home and at work but these are the exception rather than the rule. 

Imagine a world where..

• Working mothers and business respect, connect and understand each other.

• Mothers return to work motivated, committed and valued for the new skills they have acquired during the pregnancy journey. Fathers are supported to share parental leave without it impacting their career and status. 

• Women don’t delay having a baby for fear it will signal the end of a career they love or feel afraid to ask about their company's maternity policy. They plan ahead for the profesional and personal future they desire. 

• Businesses retain their best female talent and create career paths that value men and women equally.

• Working mothers realise their full potential as authentic leaders at the most senior levels.

This is good for business and good for humanity. 

Become a Founder Member today and be part of the change. 

How will we Spend the Money we Raise? 

Our first stage rewards-based funding will help us to:- 

1. Gather insights from our growing network and create a central online hub packed full of resources, case studies and guidance to support and inspire fairer working practices for all.
2. Roll out corporate support options to help businesses of all sizes with coaching and action plans to help retain their top female talent.
3. Offer practical tools to help mothers and mothers-to-be everywhere take responsibilty for their career progression and family desires so they rise and thrive in businesses and at home.

The foundations around our benchmarking of acceptable and exemplary maternity processes and practice and our over-arching aims are in place but our Founder Members will be able to further shape the details.

For more details on our 3 Aims and Benchmarking see here. 

What do YOU need to do? 

#Watch the Video

#Pledge what you can 

#Share this message with others and invite their support

What's in it for You? 

Together, we can re-educate and help companies across all industries to find sustainable ways for mothers to rise and create a more equal and balanced society.

When the balance of power is shared between men and women, better decisions are made. 

Your support will make all the difference.

Our history...

Bumps and the Boardroom started two years ago as a series of conversations around how to better manage maternity. 

Of the current challenge for mothers and businesses, Founder, Lisa Barnwell explains: 

"We currently have a culture where men and women apologise for wanting a family or other interests outside of work rather than celebrating the skills we learn from these experiences. This particularly penalises mothers."

This is not the reality everywhere.

Some companies are making huge inroads and showing how top female talent can be nurtured, but we need to champion these examples and connect to their business worth, in order to bring about real change across all industries."

This isn’t just a movement for women – this is for men, women, potential and existing parents everywhere who believe in motherhood without sacrifice.

Whatever industry you work in  - finance, law, property, media, digital, design, retail, tech, mining and construction. 

Add your support today - for you and future generations. 

Lisa Barnwell and the Bumps and the Boardroom Team.

*The 2015 UK Equalities Commission report advised that up to 100,000 women per year may be discriminated against during the maternity journey. We want the story to be different in 2016 and beyond. 

This project closed unsuccessfully on 29th March 2016