Mama’s Work

New online exhibition explores how women around the world juggle work and motherhood

At Elizabeth Street, we’re always curious to know how moms balance motherhood with their careers. While fashion designer Jules Reid takes her sons with her to work (“it’s all melded together,” she says), creative director Coralie Charriol Paul tries to “divide [her] day into two parts—children in the morning, work in the afternoon.” Sure, every mom has a different approach, but they all agree on one thing: it’s not an easy task.

“Mama’s Work,” the latest exhibition from the International Museum of Women (IMOW), an online museum that seeks to advance the lives of women on a global scale, explores this very give-and-take. The “Mama’s Work” cyber display includes videos, mother profiles, fiction, art galleries, and articles by international leaders Irene Natividad (president of the Global Summit of Women) and Jennifer Siebel Newsom (filmmaker and founder of MissRepresentation.org). Realists will find facts, figures, and data about the hours, wages, and implications of women in the work force, and optimists—or anyone looking for a pointer or two—will love “Mama’s Voice,” a video montage of women, from San Francisco to Sub-Saharan Africa, sharing their own inspiring tips.