Today we’re breaking an imagined taboo and talking about parenthood and having (or not having) children as conservators. We talk about flexibility at work, fertility problems, unexpected anxiety, and if The Right Time actually exists. Tune in for an interview with Karen Horton about being deliberately childfree and listen to Sophie Rowe and Christina having a chat about being working mothers. We also get to hear what Christina’s kids think she does at work!

00:00:23 Why talk parenthood?
00:02:41 Our experiences and thoughts around motherhood
00:08:23 How maternity pay works in the UK
00:11:47 How life changes after having children
00:16:53 Job security and feeling like you’re pulling your weight
00:24:56 How many conservators actually have children?
00:32:10 How maternity and shared parental leave works in the UK
00:35:42 Interview with Karen Horton
00:43:01 Choosing not to have kids
00:47:18 Interview with Harriet (5) and Alexander (7)
00:58:25 Health and safety and the joy of risk assessments
01:02:55 Why we need more flexibility at work
01:03:53 Interview with Sophie Rowe
01:32:40 Listener stories
01:42:20 Patreon shout-out
01:43:25 Comments, questions, and corrections

Show Notes:
- Maternity leave and pay in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave
- Proportion of mums in work 'up 50% since mid-1970s': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43919090
- Families and the Labour Market (England 2017): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2017
- Our Twitter poll about parents in conservation: https://twitter.com/thecwordpodcast/status/970347941541089280
- Reproducing Conservators - Health and Safety for Preconception, Pregnancy, and Beyond: http://www.conservation-us.org/docs/default-source/periodicals/2012sept-aicnews.pdf?sfvrsn=6
- Maternity allowance for the self-employed in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance

Support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/thecword

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey and Christina Rozeik.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Additional sound effects and music by Calum Robertson.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2018.

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