Happy belated Mother's Day

While we celebrate the important work women do at home for their families, we shouldn’t see that as a barrier in their careers. The G15 Women Mentoring Network joined for an event earlier this month to discuss the challenges of motherhood and women in the sector trying to ‘have it all.'

Having children and a career shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. You should be able to do both”, said Cllr Mili Patel, Deputy Leader of the London Borough of Brent, one of the speakers at the event.

In a male-dominated sector, such as housing and development, maternity is not often spoken about. However, the speakers highlighted the importance of having a supportive network and allies – both male and female – at work and in one’s personal life, and also about the importance of letting go of an unattainable standard of ‘perfect experience. ’

The G15 Women’s Mentoring Network was founded in 2019 by the then-chair of the G15 Development Directors Group, Vicky Savage (L&Q), to support women in the early stages of their development careers across the G15 members. The programme has grown exponentially since then, and we now have over 100 mentors and mentees across all G15 members actively participating.