Farida Abdel Malek 
My mother decided to be a stay at home mum, and raise me, in order to give me all the care and attention she can provide. She utilized the knowledge she obtained from studying computer engineering to help me study during school. When I got older and started to be more independent, and away from home all the time, she got bored. She started wanting to do something for herself. So, she decided to go job hunting, and she found the perfect job for her. Through her interview with the CEO, my mum realized that her choice of giving up her career to raise me is going to be frowned upon by every company she would ever be interested in. From the moment she stepped in, he was very rude to her, looking down at her, and making her feel like her place was at home, and not in an office with words like, 'Why do you even need this job?', 'Why work now?', 'Why didn't you work for 20 years? To raise your daughter?'
My mum made the decision to give up her career for me and my dad. My father had a very difficult job, and there was no way for him to help around the house, or help raise me. Throughout the years she maintained her strength and studied through helping me study, and dreamt of becoming a teacher. Finding an online teaching program was the perfect opportunity for her, and she was more than qualified for the job. But she was judged and degraded, even before her qualifications were evaluated. That man made my mother feel like she was nothing more than a housewife and a stay at home mum. He assumed by her clothes, bag, and watch that she didn’t 'need' this job, but what he didn't know is that she needed it very much emotionally and financially.
I decided to share this story on International Women’s Day to shed light on a huge problem, that is surely based on sexism, and a lack of appreciation for women who willingly chose to give up their personal lives, dreams, and careers for another very important job, motherhood. I wish people understood how motherhood is a job of its own.
On this important day, I wanted to write this story, and look back at it one day when things have changed. When women are being given the opportunity to go back into the working field, and being given the chance to learn just like a fresh graduate would in an internship. My mother graduated motherhood but no one gave her the certificate, and no one gave value to the years she dedicated to it. So, the next time you’re hiring someone, think about that, think about the dedication and power you would be getting from a woman like that.
Main Image Credit: "Simple As That" Blog
