We know how to shape systems to better support working mothers. So why don’t we?

As more women join the workforce and gradually gain representation in leadership roles, the lack of resources like affordable childcare and paid maternity leave has become increasingly consequential. In the first half of last year, the U.S. saw the steepest decline of working mothers with children under 5 years old in 40 years, according to a University of Kansas study, and that decline has continued. During this week’s Fast Company Innovation Festival, staff editor Shalene Gupta asked several mothers in senior leadership positions how we got here, what mothers need, and how we can improve workplaces and support systems accordingly. We’ve been here before Panelists noted that governments and workplaces have already shown that they can adapt. Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, now CEO of Moms First—an organization that advocates for paid leave and affordable childcare—said that during World War II, the Lanham Act created the country’s first national childcare program, supporting many of the millions of women who suddenly entered the workforce. “The minute men came back to work, what did we do? We dismantled all those childcare centers,” she said. At the onset of the COVID-19 pa…