A workspace with on-site nursery? Sounds like the top of many a working parent’s wish-list...
Nine years ago entrepreneur and campaigner Shazia Mustafa ticked that box when she opened Third Door, the UK’s first family-friendly co-working space. We catch up with Shazia, who is also on the board of Pregnant then Screwed, to talk about women and the workplace.
‘After the birth of my first child, I was inspired to help other mums get back to work’
The initial idea for the business all came from my personal experience. A few months after I had my first child back in 2007, the only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to work. I was working at Nokia at the time. I enjoyed the role and company, as it was very family friendly, but I had always harboured a desire to work for myself.
I got together with a friend to brainstorm ideas for a business and found it difficult to get anything done whilst meeting the needs of my five-month old daughter. In a moment of frustration, I wished for a place I could work in peace whilst she was cared for nearby. That was the inspiration behind Third Door, which I opened two years later with my husband Yusef.
‘Third Door is a UK’s first co-working and flexible nursery’
Yusef and I co-founded the business nine years ago. Back then and even more so today, Third Door has been about removing the parenthood penalty and creating a better work/ life balance for mums and dads. We allow parents to be able to work near their children, saving them time and money by cutting their commute time, as well as removing parent-guilt. We’re based in South-west London, but we’ve grown so much in fact, we’re going to be launching more sites soon.
With the flexibility we offer, we have helped countless mothers return to work and continue their careers on a full-time or flexible basis. We also have many members who are freelancers or run their own business and they say they couldn’t have done this without the services we offer.
We have also helped parents who are anxious about leaving their child, especially in the very early years. The flexibility helps save costs too, if parents don’t want to commit to sending their child to nursery every day. Parents can choose between fixed days and flexible packages, and upgrade and downgrade their childcare depending on their needs.
‘Juggling the work-life balance – and who does what in the relationship is a common issue for working mums’
My observation has been that, whilst most relationships do start off equal, once children are in the equation, men and women seem to default to socially expected roles.
There are more conversations around mental load for women and also fathers experiencing postal depression than ever before, but these conversations are not as mainstream as they could be. The fact mothers tend to have to juggle more - or take time off work when their baby is sick – and, that fathers tend to be pressured to be the be main breadwinner all lead to divides really early on in parenthood.
We need to turn this on its head. Certainly understanding each other and sharing the mental load, as well as the financial burden can make a huge difference. I also think that if both men and women stopped thinking about the childcare costs predominantly coming from the women’s salary, and rather from both salaries, we will see a more balanced parenting society.
“I would encourage people to use the Pregnant then Screwed helpline if they encounter any form of discrimination”
I am on the board of Pregnant then Screwed, an amazing initiative by the equally amazing Joeli Brearley. The mission of Pregnant then Screwed is to end the motherhood penalty. They run a free legal advice line and a flexible working helpline. A mentoring scheme for women taking legal action against their employer working, as well as many amazing events.
I would encourage people to use the Pregnant then Screwed helpline if they encounter any form of discrimination. For me discrimination is akin to racism; it is no different. It is completely unacceptable for any form of discrimination to take place in 2019 and it does need to be called out. The Women's Equality Party is also very active in supporting women who have faced any type of discrimination too so people may wish to look to them too.
