I'm a big fan of Jessica Wildfire and appreciate her choice of subjects and unique insights, but I think she's off on this one. That HR rep who told her friend motherhood was a liability is not America, he's an individual who needs to be called on that. I know many who go out of their way to accommodate family needs; I once hired a woman who was pregnant and went on family leave the day we hired her. The reason families struggle today is not an undervaluing but a miscalculation of economic factors that results in wildly fluctuating revenues and keeps everyone on edge. This is more incompetence than neglect. I was also struck by the comment about suffering through endless Zoom meetings. Everyone I know agrees with the premise that these Zoom meetings are killing us, so why are we still stuck in that rut as the Zoom requests keep coming and no one seems to cancel anything. Somebody has to say NO! Enough! And not be worried that some obscure point won't be communicated and they'll be reprimanded. That's a management issue: you want less Zoom meetings? Cut people a little compliance slack, let them work on the essentials, and hell yes mothers are great employees.