This post is part of my subseries on how organizations can transform leadership development for women, as described through the eyes of women’s lived experiences and where gaps remain.

In this post, I explore the intersectionality of gender and pregnancy conditions in the workplace and the effects on women in leadership, through the eyes of Priscila Martinez, founder of two companies: The Brand Agency, a communications and public relations firm, and Vicaria, a sister firm focused on multicultural brands and personalities inspired by her first-generation immigrant experience.

Priscila happens to lead an all-female team. She has found that the greatest difference she has seen between her all-female company and other companies she’s worked with is the ability to share lived experiences that can be validating. Across this all-female team, they have experienced a wide range of medical concerns that are specific to women and females, including fertility treatments, breast cancer scares, and difficult pregnancies. And being able to talk about and normalize these discussions has made it easier for them to support each other.

“Women who are going for promotions in other companies, especially when competing with male colleagues, don't want to talk about our nausea in the first trimester of a pregnancy – we’re afraid that it’s going to be held against us or be seen as a weakness. You don't want to talk about being up all night with your sick son, because you fear they're gonna say, ‘Oh, well, that's why she messed up, she must have been tired.’ We can have bad cramps and that happens once a month. When we are in an environment with men, we hide all that because it's taboo to talk about. In our all-female workplace, you can be open about those issues, and your colleagues will have empathy in a very different way. If I tell one of my female colleagues ‘I have been up with my son’ or ‘I am dying of cramps, I'm going to have to leave the office early,’ they're going to get it because they’ve likely been there.”

How do we create inclusive, psychological healthy workspaces for women to feel comfortable sharing their needs and challenges in any organization?

We discussed three ways:

There is psychological safety to speak up about concerns and personal needs.

Women have had a lifetime of messages that tell them they shouldn't speak up because (a) their perspective is not valued, (b) their experiences carry stigma, (c) they will be questioned about the validity of their experiences.

Priscila shared her experience in situations where this was not being addressed:

“I can't tell you how many times we're interacting with an all-male team - whether it be a collaborator, a partnership, or a client team - and we still see them talking over someone in a meeting, interrupting, and other [challenges] that women just put up with. Having a workplace without any of that noise… creates an environment for everybody to feel comfortable and to be able to throw out ideas and not feel like they're going to be judged or interrupted, or considered not smart in the room, or whatever it may be. [It feels like] there is no glass ceiling.”

Now, this isn’t necessarily gender-specific. (However, research does indicate that in a mixed-gender workplace, men engage in more interruptive behavior than women and both men and women interrupt more when the group is male-dominated. And this study also found that men and women alike were viewed as less leader-like by their peers when they interrupted).

Whether the behavior is interruptions or other behaviors that send the message that women contributions and experiences aren’t valued, the outcome is the same: it creates an environment in which a group of people feel it’s not safe or worthwhile to speak up or share their concerns.

Having intentional conversations is the key.

For example, Priscila shared that one challenge she notices on her all-female team is what Patrick Lencioni terms artificial harmony: “Many women were raised to believe you have to be nice, you don't want to be too candid with your feedback because you don’t want to ruffle too many feathers. So, you don't say things on the spot, and the problem then lingers.”

These problems aren’t necessarily gender-specific but they do require leaders to know how to identify and navigate in order to create inclusive, healthy workspaces.

In addition, as Priscila has found, these conversations are useful in that they challenge previous societal norms that may impede team connection and effectiveness.

What does this have to do with supporting women through their pregnancy journey?

Like many gender-specific experiences, if leaders aren’t aware of these needs, and it isn’t spoken about, women are likely to get an implicit message that there is not enough psychological safety for them to ask for what they need or share their concerns.

2. The environment is set up to help women feel comfortable requesting support for their unique medical needs.

Priscila shared:

“I have girlfriends [who had difficult pregnancies] who were working at big firms as executives and they would have to excuse themselves to go to the bathroom and throw up every couple of minutes and could not talk to their colleagues about what was going on. I personally had a really traumatic [birth] delivery and also a not-so-great pregnancy. It makes me a little sad to think about some of our other colleagues in fields where they can't really be that open are suffering through some of the most important times in their life and they have to do it in silence without feeling support at work.”

The impact of loss of opportunities as a result of sharing personal lives across a woman's career can become large and equate to thousands and sometimes millions of dollars in lost income, contributing even more to the pay gap.

To create an environment in which women feel comfortable requesting support for their medical needs, supervisor need to speak up first and welcome the conversation: For example, Priscila shared some language she has used with her team: “I recognize that some women may worry about sharing things like going through fertility treatments or being pregnant for fear of retribution. I want you to know that I’m open to those conversations and if you need FMLA or other support, bringing it up with me is okay. You don't need to be concerned that your career could be in jeopardy if you share.”

3. Women visibly experience an environment and policies that support them.

For example, organizations are starting to install comfortable lactation rooms. Those rooms are visible and everyone knows they exist without having to ask. Regarding policies, Priscila shared an example, “I've travelled with clients who get a stipend from their employer to ship breast milk back home when they have to travel for a work event - those types of things go an incredibly long way.” Having those policies developed and routinely shared helps women feel valued through clear company commitments.

You can find Priscila Martinez on LinkedIn here, together with her company page The Brand Agency.

Mira Brancu is co-author of the Millennials’ Guide to Workplace Politics, which includes tips like those above and more.