How Philanthropy Can Lead in an Age of Polarization (Stay Ahead)

As we head into the heart of the U.S. election season, with heightened political and societal divisions, there is an increased urgency to drive progress on a host of social issues. Philanthropies, as stewards of the most flexible funding sources around, have an immediate opportunity to meaningfully engage—ramp up support to strengthen our democratic system, step in on sensitive issues as others step back and introduce new and nimble models of support to address a rapidly evolving set of challenges. This moment requires bold ideas and immediate action.  

Strengthening Our Democratic System

As political debates threaten to drive an even deeper wedge between communities across the country, sparking civic engagement and strengthening the structures that undergird our democratic system becomes ever more important. Funding opportunities abound: saving local news, re-building public trust in institutions, championing civics education, safeguarding voting rights, encouraging civic dialogue and engaging and energizing voters are all meaningful interventions.  

Yet, it is important to acknowledge that mixing philanthropic money and politics is controversial. Accusations against the Ford Foundation in 1967 of partisan use of voter registration efforts energized congressional action to limit philanthropic engagement in politics. Today, while scholars like Emma Saunders-Hastings warn against political philanthropy, the Unite America Institute is just one example of an organization pleading for philanthropy to get more involved. 

Voter engagement is a useful example to explore. Philanthropic efforts have long played a crucial role in safeguarding voting rights. The State Infrastructure Fund, a nonpartisan donor collaborative conceived in 2010, works to increase civic participation and advance voting rights among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and other historically underrepresented communities. Democracy Works, another nonpartisan organization, runs a host of tools and tech focused on protecting and powering U.S. democracy—including TurboVote and the Voting Information Project—and is funded by a growing list of foundations.   

Research shows that the impact of voter engagement efforts can be transformative, particularly among youth, BIPOC communities and those in rural areas for whom voting has never been easy. According to Nonprofit VOTE, engagement by nonprofits significantly increases voter turnout, with a 10-percentage-point boost observed among engaged voters compared to their counterparts. Promising models, like the Heartland Fund’s focus on rural communities’ civic engagement challenges, offer replicable approaches to targeting key populations. 

Institutional philanthropies gave over $5 billion to democracy-focused nonprofits between 2021 and 2022, according to Democracy Fund, and that number is expected to grow further between 2023 and 2024. There is truly no time to waste; as the All by April campaign lays out, a “wait and see” approach can be too little and too late, while early money helps nonprofits be more efficient and flexible, strengthening their reach and results.  

Stepping Up as Others Step Back

As polarization intensifies, a core set of issues consistently land in the political crosshairs. Racial justice is one such lightning rod. Progress achieved in understanding systemic racism and prioritizing racial equity through focused grantmaking is in jeopardy as organizations tamp down their support under the guise of risk management. While funding may be sustained, many funders—corporates, in particular—are quietly excising explicit references to serving Black or brown communities from their messaging, favoring terms like “economic disadvantage” over racial identifiers. 

Of greater concern is the momentum around the movement to label programs directly supporting Black or brown communities as divisive and discriminatory, fueled in part by the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action in college admissions. More recently, an Atlanta federal appeals court suspended a grant program for Black women business owners, operated by the venture capital firm Fearless Fund. 

Some foundation giants, like McKnight, Marguerite Casey and Ford, are staunchly defending their focus on racial justice. Beyond the ethical arguments, there is also a strong legal push to protect the right to donate to charitable causes that promote racial justice. In December 2023, the Council of Foundations and Independent Sector filed a joint amicus brief in support of Fearless Fund, arguing that philanthropic grants are protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Nevertheless, some funders—particularly wary corporates and smaller organizations lacking significant legal resources—are noticeably reticent to engage. This marks a significant shift from the resolute commitment to racial justice expressed across both the corporate and philanthropic sectors in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. 

The moment is ripe for philanthropies to step up and ensure progress continues, whether the issue is racial justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ progress or any number of other matters in the political spotlight. While continuity of funding is key, philanthropies can also provide support that goes beyond grantmaking. By convening grantees to enhance collaboration around shared goals, using their connections and clout to build networks of support around promising solutions and leaders and drawing attention to emergent needs, funding gaps and community-driven solutions, philanthropies can advance progress and prevent backsliding on a range of critical issues.   

Adapting Giving Models to the Needs of This Moment

As social issues become campaign focal points, traditional funders pull back in the face of reputational risk and public concern spikes, how philanthropies engage is often as important as where they channel their support.  

For organizations dedicated to advancing social issues in the face of political division and societal backlash, strategies exist to mitigate risks and affirm commitment. Funder collaboratives offer a platform for collective action and are increasing in popularity, with over half established since 2010. There is power in numbers, and pooled funding can oftentimes lead to more meaningful impact. For example, the Black Feminist Fund launched in 2021 with close to $30 million in seed investments from the Ford Foundation, Solidaire and Farbman Family Foundation. The Fund is doing critical work to power Black feminist movements by driving advocacy, funding research and giving multiyear grants that fundamentally change the way Black feminist groups are resourced.  

Another philanthropic model gaining traction is the rapid response fund. Originally a staple of humanitarian and disaster relief funding, these funds are evolving and adapting as critical needs emerge. For instance, the Groundswell Fund’s Rapid Response Fund launched in 2015 to support grassroots organizations  led by women of color, trans people, and low-income women in the fight for reproductive justice. The Fund later evolved to support organizations working across a broader set of intersectional threats to social and racial justice.  

Rapid response philanthropy is also an answer to increasing public demand. In the days following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, for example, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Planned Parenthood Federation of America experienced a 40-fold increase in donations compared to a typical day, with over half coming from new donors. Similarly, during the 2020 U.S. election, new voting laws sparked concerns about voter suppression, leading to a surge in donations to support voting rights initiatives. 

Given the level of urgency crises often demand, rapid response funds often incorporate the principles of trust-based philanthropy, allowing funders to move money quickly to empower leaders and organizations on the front lines. Unrestricted funds provide organizations with the flexibility and nimbleness required to pivot in response to rapidly evolving community needs. And shifts in how funds are deployed need not undermine longer term goals around learning and impact. As the sector continues to shift, new frameworks for trust-based learning and evaluation are evolving to keep pace. 

The Path Forward

In this polarized landscape, philanthropies can be powerful catalysts for change, by bolstering our civic infrastructure, ramping up support for social issues as other funders step back and moving funds using innovative deployment and partnership models. Yet, the full extent of their impact will be judged on how quickly they can move. Now is the moment for action.  

Original post here.

From SDGs to ESG: Why Sustainability Is Core to the Gulf’s Future (Stay Ahead)

The Gulf region finds itself at a time of incredible economic opportunity and challenge. Two years of business disruption caused by the pandemic and compounded by climate change have heightened awareness of environmental and social governance (ESG) issues. No doubt, these rapid shifts can be daunting. They can also be an enormous opportunity for Gulf-based governments and organizations to use ESG to measure and manage transformation while accelerating progress towards ambitious economic, institutional and societal goals. But to ensure that strategy translates into action, stakeholders must take critical steps to develop buy-in at all organizational levels and integrate ESG into business practices.

A recent report by APCO Worldwide and GCC Board of Directors finds that while interest in ESG is burgeoning regionally, many GCC-based companies are still at the “start-up” phase of their ESG journey, leaving them susceptible to the impacts of risk. With an overabundance of frameworks, combined with the fast-paced evolution of regulatory policies, organizations often struggle to analyze and act upon their data. While playbooks may be in place, they are hard to decipher, let alone implement. To leverage ESG strategy to meet this moment, Gulf-based companies and governments must adopt the following shifts:

1. Recognize that ESG accelerates a company’s business priorities while strengthening stakeholder engagement.Having robust ESG teams and processes with committed leadership from boards and senior management is critical to developing a strong approach, but Gulf-based companies have been slow to hire accordingly. Only 26.6% of organisations surveyed have a specialised ESG team that sits under one business unit. GCC companies have an opportunity to address this gap by identifying stakeholder demands and ESG business drivers. Young employees are entering the workforce, curious about their companies’ goals and progress in areas such as diversity and inclusion, and corporate responsibility. Because of this, corporate commitments that consider ESG factors make companies competitive for top talent, while also building loyalty and growing the customer base. Here, GCC companies have embraced this perspective: data finds that 75% of ESG processes and operations of respondents’ organisations are supported by corporate social responsibility while 51.3% are supported by performance management and 40% by HR practices. Organizations that perform the best continue to cultivate the advantages of these programs through the inclusion of ESG-related knowledge and learning in staffing initiatives.As ESG priorities are advanced, Gulf-based organizations will see enhanced corporate values, culture and collaboration – making it clear that the public and private sectors stand to benefit from a deepening commitment to sustainability to ensure that company’s reach their goals.

1. As a cornerstone of decision-making, ESG optimises the advantages of long-term thinking.When considering factors that may impact company strategy, it is essential to identify, assess and prioritize environmental and social risks. In the GCC region, 51.3% of organisations primarily view ESG as a value creation strategy while 46.3% see it as a risk mitigation measure. Effective companies link ESG strategy to managing long-term performance, enabling them to protect their business model by acting on emergent risks that threaten profitability.These advantages have already been acknowledged by several Gulf states. In 2020, all public joint stock companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) or the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in the UAE (Listed PJSCs) were required to publish a sustainability report reflecting how long-term company strategy impacts environment, society, the economy and governance. Risk-related disclosures enable a management process that is aligned with corporate objectives, which is critical in addressing the short and long-term consequences that climate change poses to operations. Organizations that report transparently not only future-proof their businesses against climate-risks, but also reflect market-readiness and organisational confidence. 

1. We need to continue developing innovative solutions – and this requires collaboration between government and private sector stakeholders.With the number of frameworks in existence continuing to grow, organizations in the GCC region struggle to identify metrics to focus and report on. Although 70% of surveyed organizations are aligned with common reporting standards and auditing their results, only 9% of respondents said that they use a framework to determine what information is critical to measure and manage ESG issues.Governments can help Gulf businesses streamline their transition to sustainable practices as there is major demand for standardized methods of reporting and frameworks to align with government regulations and policies. Aligning of regulatory bodies and companies can ensure that frameworks become accessible, motivating and empowering businesses to implement a strong ESG strategy and go beyond compliance.

   Take, for example, the UAE’s adoption of Vision 2030 in 2015, which defined a roadmap for national sustainable development. The UAE also presented its first Voluntary National Review in 2018, underscoring the country’s SDG implementation strategy, as well as methods of data collection utilized to develop clearer policies and regulations. The UAE government defined and strengthened the scope of ESG adoption and ambition within the region, effectively creating the pathway to collaboration between them and the private sector. By developing innovative solutions like this, both government and private sector stakeholders can push beyond compliance, and actively accelerate opportunities for the GCC to successfully confront unprecedented shocks in the short and long-term.

Original post here.

Don’t Wait to Be Called: Three Reasons to Proactively Adopt a Racial Equity Audit (Stay Ahead)

Before 2020, the term “racial equity” was hardly in the corporate lexicon. But in just few years, it has transformed into a hot-button topic on boardroom agendas. Since global protests accelerating calls for an end to systemic racism and inequality, corporations are stepping up with big-ticket commitments from $200 billion in financial commitments to racial equity to pledging 15% of their shelf-space to Black-owned businesses. However, a Washington Post analysis finds that most corporate commitments have failed to deliver measurable results. Without an entity tracking contributions or assessing whether they’ve delivered impact, corporate action on equity and justice and the accountability required to maintain its momentum are at risk.

That’s where racial equity audits come in. As independent, objective reviews of how corporate policies and practices affect underrepresented groups, they are vital to ensuring that companies become fairer and more welcoming places to work. Moreover, they can help illuminate whether companies have the right systems in place to monitor effectiveness and deliver on promises. Such data is critical for stakeholders—from consumers, employees, and investors to researchers, activists, and community leaders—to understand how businesses are advancing equity and justice. One added benefit? They can also highlight best practices which can, in turn, serve as examples for other organizations.

When audits do happen, it’s usually because executives are pressured by shareholders or the public to take action. But to realize the full benefits of these exercises, we recommend that companies take a proactive approach—and here are three reasons why:

1. Audits Can Help Accelerate a Whole-Company Approach

DEI is more than a set of HR policies, employee resource groups or supplier diversity criteria. It is in every input and output of your company—from marketing, product development and internal communications to policies, benefits, corporate philanthropy and environmental impact. It must thus be embedded in your core business strategy and in every business unit and function. While there’s no silver bullet to solving racial inequity, racial equity audits can help identify and reduce systemic and individual bias. They can also identify opportunities to better align different parts of the business or gaps in strategy that present opportunities for exponential impact.

In 2019, for example, Starbucks engaged former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. and Covington & Burling, LLP to assess how the company could advance civil rights, diversity, equity and inclusion internally and in the community. The report revealed that Starbucks partners did not feel equipped to help customers who were experiencing challenges like homelessness, substance use and untreated mental illness. In response, Starbucks is piloting a partnership with United Way through which the nonprofit will assign community outreach workers to select Starbucks stores. These recruits will talk with customers in crisis and, when necessary, help them access community resources or secure basic needs.

2. Racial Equity Audits Can Illuminate Opportunities for Risk Mitigation

ESG is moving from the purview of activist investors to become a priority issue for mainstream stakeholders. This trend is likely to accelerate as Gen Z becomes a larger share of the global population and DEI and related disclosures become more important to consumers, employees and investors. For example, in January 2022, New York’s state pension fund asked Amazon, Chipotle, Match, Dollar Tree and Dollar General to undertake racial equity audits.

Considering this rapidly shifting landscape, racial equity audits can help guard against risk by identifying and developing solutions to address discriminatory business practices. Take, for example, Rio Tinto’s 2022 external review of its workplace culture. The report identified disturbing evidence of bullying, sexual harassment, racism and other forms of discrimination throughout the company while providing a clear framework for action to address these challenges. By opening themselves up for scrutiny, companies across industries might interrogate where they’ve fallen short and how they can and must change.

3. Future-proofing is Where Great DEI Strategy is Built.

Traditional DEI reports play a critical role in fostering accountability; however, they are too-often retroactive and reflective, rather than forward-thinking and generative. By adopting a racial equity audit, companies take a systems-level approach to advancing equity that goes beyond a single year of data. These audits examine how companies wield their power and influence—both positively and negatively—to advance equity. That level of honest introspection can unlock opportunities to make a greater impact and foster trust amongst stakeholders who see leaders fighting for equity in the long term, well past the news cycle.

Opening yourself up to scrutiny can be a daunting prospect—especially for companies operating in industries like financial services, housing, insurance and health care, which have historically been tied to systemic inequities. However, we see two approaches for organizations embarking on their racial equity journey. To start, companies might assess their 2020 racial equity commitments and ask:

• How has our work met our stated objectives?

• Do we have the right systems in place to deliver and report on results?

• Can we take learnings to date and identify gaps in our progress or commitments? (J.P. Morgan recently launched a third-party racial equity audit of its $30 billion, five-year Racial Equity Commitment).

This is also a prime area for industry associations to play a leadership role. Industry-wide efforts to identify broad-based racial equity priorities, activate resources, and identify best practices that inform company-specific strategies could be essential tools for companies looking to get started and align with peers and emulate leaders.

Original post here.

Why Purpose Can Help Small Businesses Stand Out (Stay Ahead)

In the face of climate disasters and increasing political polarization, it is no wonder consumers’ faith in institutions is at an all-time low. Whether government or business, nearly every institution has been impacted by the new age of cynicism with one curious exception: small business.

While over 43% of consumers say they have “very little” or “no” trust in big business, over 70% say that they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in small business, according to a recent Gallup poll. Consumer faith in small business is particularly strong amongst millennial consumers, the largest consumer segment today: 72% say they’re more committed to supporting small businesses than they were pre-pandemic. But will this goodwill last forever?

One way for small businesses to stand out vis-a-vis their larger counterparts is to lean into purpose. By infusing principles of sustainability and social impact from the start, these companies can sidestep the troubled legacies of incumbents and lean into their ability to be more nimble and innovative.

Small businesses can set out to differentiate themselves by emphasizing best practices in sustainability and social impact. There are already businesses that have led by example in this space like Nisolo, a Nashville-based clothing company that emphasizes its ethical sourcing model, and Maple Hill Creamery, the leading grass-fed organic dairy company. Even small businesses that haven’t invested in this space can more easily pivot to purpose as footwear brand Atoms did by retooling its manufacturing processes to produce masks in the face of COVID-19-related PPE shortages—and building its brand in the process.

Up-start pioneers can develop a competitive advantage over large companies because they can more nimbly infuse circular and ethical sourcing strategies into their design of products and services. Today, most companies follow a “take-make-dispose” pattern driven by existing production economics and loose regulation. Re-engineering existing processes and pivoting supply chain strategy takes time.  In contrast, the purpose-driven small businesses of tomorrow can design products and services that bake in circular supply chains, adopt a resource recovery model, leverage sharing platforms, or position products as services from inception. Core to many of these approaches is the design of efficient, effective “take-back” systems which require the establishment of relationships with consumers. For example, think of the greengrocer who accepts your compost or the local sharing networks for goods and services from tools to appliances. No stakeholders are better poised to tap into this mindset than the small businesses in our neighborhoods.

Beyond goods, small businesses can also lead by taking a progressive stance on workplace policies that are likely to attract the long-neglected needs that certain segments from caregivers to Gen Z workers have lobbied for. Parents across the country are struggling to balance the demands of work and family as the cost of child care rapidly rises. With the U.S. government slow to act to solve the child care crisis, more workers are turning to their employers for support. While they may struggle to compete with larger companies on compensation, they can win on policies and programs. Here, small businesses can stand out whether it’s providing childcare facilities, negotiating discounts at local providers or simply providing information about quality, reliable options. Similarly, Gen Z employees are increasingly drawing attention to the epidemic of burnout, which the World Health Organization added as an occupational health phenomenon in 2019. Given that Gen Z reports higher levels of anxiety and depression than other generations, companies that offer programs to help employees better manage their mental health, offer generous leave policies, and provide an environment of psychological safety to discuss challenges may be better placed to attract talent.

Small businesses are also poised to benefit from the rising consumer preference for local products and services. Local spending has a clear economic impact on communities: an average of two-thirds of every dollar spent at small businesses in the United States stays in the local community, according to the Small Business Economic Impact Study from American Express. The same study also finds that every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional 50 cents in local business activity. Not only are local products seen as contributing to job creation, but they are also (especially in the case of food and beverage) seen as more sustainable as they are not shipped over long distances. Small enterprises should lean into the principles of shared value—and share their story about how they and the local communities they serve stand to benefit.

The future of business, especially those that are new to market, lies in striking the right approach to purpose. Today, consumers increasingly make decisions based on how companies treat their communities, their employees, and the environment. But according to the Harris Poll, only 24% of companies today have embedded their purpose into their business “to the point of influencing innovation, operations, and their engagement with society.” Small businesses can use their competitive advantage over large enterprises based on their age and agility to infuse purpose into their core strategy from the start—and demonstrate authenticity and credibility to consumers in an age where brand skepticism is at an all-time high.

Original post here.

4 Things Small Businesses Can Do Right Now To Help Working Moms (Fast Company)

More than 50% of small businesses said they couldn’t fill open positions last month, according to the National Federation of Independent Business—a 48-year peak. 

What if small businesses became a safe haven for hardworking moms?

As the numbers of women leaving the workforce attests, businesses need to improve their benefits to retain talented moms. One constituency in particular stands to gain from implementing mom-friendly policies: small businesses. 

In this piece for Fast Company, I identify small shifts that can be major game-changers for both moms and small businesses. These recommendations stem from research I co-authored as part of a playbook titled “Making Workplaces Work for Moms: Building a Mom-Friendly Workplace for the Post-Pandemic Future,” produced in partnership with Marshall Plan for Moms.

The “Return-to-Workplace” Policies That Will Bring Moms Back (Stay Ahead)

Women were treading water before the pandemic. Now as more companies return to the workplace, employers must examine how we support women in the workplace, especially mothers, and make bold changes so they don’t sink under the heavy responsibilities of work and caregiving. It’s time to help them swim—providing them the long overdue support they need to thrive.

One-third of working women have children and since COVID-19 first showed up in the US, over two million women have left—or have been forced to leave—their jobs, spiraling female workforce participation down to its lowest point in 30 years. Another one in four women are contemplating downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce entirely.

It’s clear that the pandemic didn’t undermine a functioning system. Rather, it exposed what women have known for decades: work doesn’t work for moms, and work-life balance is an illusion. Too many employers continue to fail to provide the basic policies and practices moms need to thrive—at work and at home.

As we emerge from this pandemic, we cannot afford to maintain a broken status quo.  In partnership with the Marshall Plan for Moms, APCO Impact launched a playbook titled “Making Workplaces Work for Moms: Building a Mom-Friendly Workplace for the Post-Pandemic Future” to identify the solutions that will not only help keep women in the workforce, but help bring them back.  These are not revolutionary solutions — however, implementing them will have a revolutionary impact on the future of our workforce. Below are ten imperatives for employers — these cannot be implemented piecemeal. Real change comes from addressing these solutions as a comprehensive suite of changes that are foundational to creating a healthy workforce for caregivers.

1. Provide maximum control over scheduling. Giving working moms control over their schedule improves productivity and engagement. For salaried workers, this means giving mothers flexibility over what hours and days they work instead of a standard 40-hour work week. For hourly workers, this means providing employees with predictability and advance notice over their schedules.

2. Support with childcare. Employers need to recognize the accessibility issues surrounding high-quality, affordable childcare. Making childcare more accessible can happen in a variety of ways: providing on-site care, subsidizing care options, negotiating discounts on behalf of employees at local centers or offering flexible spending accounts with pre-tax dollars. Every little bit counts.

3. Foster positive gender dynamics at home by supporting and encouraging paternity leave. Employers should encourage men, especially those in leadership positions, to take a full paternity leave. This helps create balance in the caregiving responsibilities at home from the start of a child’s life and counteracts the strain of unpaid labor at home that falls disproportionately on women today.

4. Prioritize moms’ mental health. Employers must change their leave policies to support moms’ health. Companies should offer options for paid time off with clear guidelines and encourage employees to utilize it. In particular, leaders should embody healthy behaviors and create a culture emphasizes the importance of prioritizing mental health.

5. Close the gender pay gap. Employers must pay all employees equally and a living wage for their region. Additionally, companies should create pipelines for high-paying and leadership positions and evaluate their hiring, recruitment and promotion processes and ensure they are fair.

6. Root out the motherhood penalty. Employers can reduce and eliminate discrimination in the workplace by requiring unconscious bias training and implementing leadership development programs that target moms.

7. Don’t rush moms back to work before they’re ready. Employees will be less likely to leave a company after having kids if they are provided with a fair maternity leave that allows them to recover and bond with their children.

8. Provide better on-ramps to bring moms back to work. Moms are more likely to come back when they are welcomed back and given a supported, individualized pathway to do so. Offering accommodations and support during the transition back to work will benefit both moms and the company. “Returnship” programs designed to support moms’ needs can improve retention rates and create happier employees.

9. Guarantee paid sick leave. Sick leave not only benefits moms and the people in their care, but promotes responsible work practices by preventing the spread of germs.

10. Advocate for moms publicly. Companies are expected to use their influence to lobby for policies that are important to their employees. Not only is it the right thing to do, but championing polices that benefit working moms will benefit everyone in the long run. The recently proposed American Families Plan contains many of the provisions moms have been asking for years from affordable childcare to a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.

These are not new, radical ideas. Yet many employers in the United States continue to fail to provide even the most basic support system. And where these policies and practices do exist, corporate cultures often inhibit women from actually using them, or outright penalize them when they do. For example, while 71% of moms we surveyed described being a working mom during the pandemic as “very challenging,” few feel they can take time off to prioritize their mental health and well-being. These dangerous trends underscore why moms are leaving the workforce in droves.

Numerous countries already have these practices in place—in New Zealand, all employees have the statutory right to request a variation to their hours of work, days of work or place of work. A request can be made at any time, for any purpose or reason and there are no limits on how many requests can be made in any period. American public policy most certainly needs to catch up to the rest of the industrialized world, but in parallel, companies must enact internal policies and practices that benefit mothers—while flexing their influence to push for long overdue policy changes as well.

For years, women have called for a common set of solutions that would help alleviate the strain of juggling their numerous priorities. Now is the time to heed that call before we risk losing a huge swath of our talent and a deeper, lasting mental health strain on the bedrocks of our society.

The bottom line is this: making the workplace better for moms makes it better for all workers.

Original article here.