Being a Mom in Tech

Estella González Madison

Orbital Biannual 2015

Hi!

I'm a Lead Software Engineer at Blurb. I focus on front-end development and performance.

 

I'm a new mom in tech.

More about me

  • I co-founded a Women Who Code NYC network in 2013
  • Postponed having children to advance my career
  • Was promoted when I was 6 months pregnant

The challenges

Equality & balance are hard to achieve

… even in a great partnership

 

  • Lack of paternity leave
  • Breastfeeding
  • Societal expectations

The false notion of workspace flexibility

Many companies, especially startups, have flexible work options, but women are penalized more than men

Pumping is hard

  • Not all workplaces/conferences provide a clean, private environment even though it's required by law
  • It's hard to recover momentum when you've been working
  • Especially challenging when you need to travel

Meetups & conferences

  • Apparently meetups & babies don't mix
  • Can only attend a meetup every few weeks
  • Conferences don't always offer nursing rooms or childcare
  • Traveling to conferences is out of the question the first year [for me]

Difficult to stay on top of industry news, practices, and trends

Interviewing

  • The traditional whiteboard interview has always been a challenge, but even more so now
  • Some interviews require assignments as part of the screening process
  • I do not mention that I have a child
  • Feeling that I'm not on top of the latest best practices, interviews are daunting and intimidating
  • There's always the fear that I'll lose the flexibility and work-life balance I have now

Work-life balance

Overall, feel good about my job, but not so positive about community involvement and helping others

Some tips

Things not to say to a new mom

  • How was your time off?
  • Sleep when your baby sleeps.
  • You look tired.
  • Will she go to preschool?
  • When are you having another one?
  • Are you getting any sleep?

Make life a little easier for the new mom on your team

  • Run meeting schedules by her first if possible to avoid interfering with her pumping schedule
  • Avoid scheduling meetings late in the day or after normal business hours
  • Make team outings during the day instead of evening hours

Thanks for listening

@chicagoing

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