I'm Back: What Remains Stuck in the Fight for Equity

I'm back, my friends. After six months away writing a book, I'm kicking off this new season of How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty with a solo episode, sharing what I've been up to, checking in on my word of the year and unpacking three big "what remains stuck" ideas.In this episode, I get into why dads are the missing piece of the equity puzzle, why New Zealand still doesn't have a dedicated voice advocating for working parents, and why the mental load remains stubbornly gendered, no matter how many boundaries, girls' weekends or to-do lists we throw at it. I share what I learned from a King's College London webinar on supporting working dads and why creating space, for dads at home and at work, might be one of the biggest unlocks we're missing.This is a punchy, honest catch-up episode: part personal reflection, part provocation, and a reminder that if we want real equity at work, we have to get serious about equity at home.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why "strong" became my word of the year, and how I've translated it into real behaviourWhat a Global Women Hui panel revealed about what remains stuck in gender equityWhy dads are, in my view, the answer, and why they need their own spaces to be realThe story behind Elliot Rae's insight: "when dads see the word parent, what they really see is mums"Why New Zealand still doesn't have a holistic voice advocating for working parents, and what that's costing familiesWhy the mental load remains stuck, and why being seen for the work matters more than another to-do listWhy curiosity, not agreement, is the first step to shifting conflict at homeConnect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone. Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family. As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast "How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty" in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List, to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping.To work with Emma or enquire about speaking: emma@worksforeveryone.co.nzwww.worksforeveryone.co.nzhttps://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/