The leader-mother quandary
The struggles transcend professions.
Kim Caldwell was introduced by the University of Tennessee as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team on April 7, 2024.
Long before Caitlin Clark’s extraordinary shooting and passing abilities brought unprecedented exposure to women’s college basketball, the UT Lady Vols set the standard for excellence. Under longtime coach Pat Summit, the Lady Vols won eight NCAA championships between 1987 and 2008. The Tennessee job, then, was a big promotion for Caldwell, who had been rising through the ranks at lower-profile schools.
But Caldwell had an announcement of her own on Sept. 3, 2024: She was pregnant with her first child, who would be due mid-season. At a preseason media day, she shared, “I spent a really long time, I think maybe the first three months of my pregnancy, being really worried about it.”
That’s no surprise. Many women of child-bearing age struggle with the timing of expanding their families. This is especially true for those in or seeking leadership positions. The pernicious perception persists that these women are not as reliable or available for their paid responsibilities because they might — God forbid — need to heal from giving birth or take time off to care for tiny humans.
The “As a mom, will I be taken seriously as a leader?” concern has been the focus of many coaching conversations I’ve had with clergywomen.