Following the huge reaction to my article in the Daily Mail on 13th December, I was delighted (and slightly terrified) to receive an invitation to be a guest on BBC4’s Woman’s Hour, a radio show for women which first aired on the BBC over 100 years ago, and is currently broadcast 6 days a week (10am Monday to Friday and at 4pm on Saturdays). You can also listen to it on demand via the BBC Sounds app and site.
As I approached the imposing building that is Broadcasting House in London at 9.15am on Monday 18th December 2023, I took a deep breath and tried not to think of the almost 4 million people who would be listening to the show and the influx of comments and feedback I’d have to react to live on air. Gulp!
The building may be intimidating, but thankfully the staff were not; I was instantly welcomed with a smile, and the entire team were so friendly and really did their best to put me at ease. The presenter, Emma Barnett, is now a mother of two but has also experienced fertility issues and loss, having undergone 5 IVF attempts to get her second child; so she was sympathetic to my situation as a childless-not-by-choice woman in the workplace, which was also reassuring.
We debated the topic of working mothers and the demands placed on non-parents in the workplace who often feel they have to pick up the slack. It was a lively debate, but a fair one, and once I’d got over the initial nerves and settled down into the discussion I actually found myself enjoying hearing all the different perspectives and having an opportunity to respond, live on air.
Emma kindly mentioned the Non-Mum Network website and Facebook group and gave me the opportunity to explain what my ultimate goal is: For employers to amend their policies to ensure equality for every employee, not just parents.
Having had my say, I left the building feeling lighter than air, absolutely buzzing that finally, finally, the voices of non-mums everywhere were actually being heard; honoured to have been chosen to represent them. I just hope I did them justice.
That evening, as I was alerted by my phone that my interview was being discussed across all of BBC4’s social media accounts and they were inviting me to collaborate on the posts, I had another pinch-me moment. The posts got thousands of likes, shares and comments, and the overwhelming feedback was in support of childless and childfree adults deserving equality at work.
Could this be the start of something incredible: a change to workplace policies and even the law regarding equality for non-parents? I’m optimistic.
Watch this space.
Listen to Sam on Woman’s Hour here.
NMN Socials:
Facebook group: The Non-Mum Network
Facebook page: The Non-Mum Network
