Bay Area Tech Companies Step Up to Support Working Families With The Mom Project

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mom Project, a digital talent marketplace that connects professional women with world class employers, has announced the launch of Women's Work Initiative in San Francisco with 12 new partners and a series of events for Bay Area employers and professional parents to gather and tackle the challenging topics surrounding female workforce participation. New Women's Work Initiative partnerships announced today include Twitter, Apple, Uber, Facebook, Reddit, Roku, Zappos, Sapphire Ventures, LendingClub, Kintone, Babylist and Chime. Women's Work Initiative, the largest-ever coordinated effort of its kind, is designed to create 1,000 career opportunities for professional women returning to or remaining in the paid workforce across verticals including business, technology, legal, healthcare, energy and more.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that mothers are the primary or sole earners for 40 percent of households with children under 18, and the number of women with college degrees has quadrupled since 1970. Despite increased family financial responsibility and significant educational gains, 43 percent of women still choose to leave the workforce after becoming mothers with most of the gap in female workforce participation attributable to motherhood and time away from the paid workforce for caregiving reasons. The economic potential in solving this problem is immense; The United States could add up to $4.3 trillion in annual GDP in 2025 if women attain full gender equality, according to a recent McKinsey & Company report.

"Women are a powerful force for good in society, devoting themselves to their families, communities and workplaces, but not often enough getting the support they need to succeed without barriers in all areas of their lives and careers," said Dalana Brand, Vice President, People Experience, Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Twitter. "As we look to make our industry and company reflect the diverse voices that come to Twitter every day, we are proud to join The Mom Project in building better workplaces and a more equal future for women!"

"The same companies at the forefront of technology are now leading the charge by impacting the future of work, and it matters tremendously," says Allison Robinson, CEO of The Mom Project. "Time spent focused on family and raising our next generation of leaders is something that deserves the utmost respect. Being a parent first should not result in a lifetime of career penalties. We're thrilled to be working with innovative leaders in the Bay Area who are deeply committed to creating organizations where women and families can thrive. This is a huge moment for working parents, especially moms, to  see these companies jumping on board to support them through this initiative."

"Companies in the Bay Area face fierce competition attracting and retaining top talent. The deep well of qualified professional moms shouldn't be overlooked," said Alexis Ohanian, co-founder and Managing Partner at Initialized Capital, and investor in The Mom Project. "The future of work is flexible. And companies that commit to tangible action today are future-proofing themselves — it enables parents to do their best work and thrive at home, increases productivity, inspires loyalty and drives positive bottom line performance. It's a clear win/win. What are we waiting for? Hire moms."

Kicking off today, October 22nd at Palette SF, founders and CEOs of parent-facing technology companies will join Robinson and The Mom Project for a panel discussion, "Can Tech Save Working Parents?" to discuss how to solve critical pain points that hold back working parents. Also on October 22 at Uber HQ in S.F., attendees will hear keynotes from Uber's Sr. Global Program Manager, Diversity & Inclusion, along with President of Mom Project Labs, on "The New Modern Parenthood" around efforts to elevate the recruitment and retention of working parents. On October 24 at Dogpatch Studios, an audience of 250 professional women will attend a "flipped" career fair where innovative partner companies such as Twitter and Uber will each pitch the audience on why they are an employer of choice for working parents. Women will network with employers and access career and confidence boosting assists with their resumes, headshots, and more.

Find the full schedule with dates, times and locations here. Companies and press are welcome to attend all sessions. For companies wishing to send attendees, please email [email protected]. For press attendance, please email [email protected].

Women's Work Initiative powered by The Mom Project now includes 25+ companies across the United States. The next event series are scheduled for Atlanta and Chicago in early 2020.

About The Mom Project: The Mom Project is a digital talent marketplace that connects talented women with world class employers  that respect work and life integration. With a community of over 200,000 talented professionals and more than 2,000 businesses, including 60+ Fortune 1000 companies, The Mom Project is committed to building a better workplace for women and the businesses they support.

SOURCE The Mom Project