'It was like pregnancy was a dirty word'

When women reveal they're pregnant, it's usually met with a celebration. Popping of non-alcoholic prosecco, gender questions, and general merriment are all par for the course. So, why is it different for women in the public eye, or women who work in the media? Deep down, are we all afraid that our gig could go up in smoke? Or worse... are we afraid of getting the dreaded 'cover work' spiel? On this week's episode of Girls With Goals, we're joined by comedian Alison Spittle and broadcaster Suzanne Kane. We're tackling GAA funding (against SOME of our wills), the great Dublin/rural divide, pregnancy problems and True Thompson (we still can't with this name). via GIPHY So, how did we get onto the issue of pregnancies and the media? This past week, Vogue Williams appeared on The Cutting Edge with Brendan O'Connor. She dropped a bomb by revealing that as soon as she announced her pregnancy she lost a job with a high profile brand. When pressed about whether the nature of the work contributed to the decision, Vogue was quick to clear it up:

'Because I'm pregnant I get dropped from jobs', @voguewilliams discusses the inequality she has experienced recently. #CuttingEdge is live @rteone now. pic.twitter.com/UyL7zKOxxA

— Cutting Edge (@CuttingEdgeRTE) April 11, 2018

It's an all too familiar story for broadcaster Suzanne Kane, who shared her story about being made redundant from a media organisation at 7 months pregnant. Listen in at 27:21 below at or keep reading for more. Having worked with the company for over 4 years, it took Suzanne a full year to talk about the ordeal, she opened up in a blog post and explained to us how shocked she was at the time:

"When I was 7 1/2 months pregnant on my second baby I got called into a scheduling meeting. I was told within 3 minutes that my contract was done, I was finished, they were making me redundant for financial reasons.  I was the only person who got lifted, and my salary was probably a quarter of what my peers were being paid.

Suzanne went on to explain that there was absolutely no warning:

"I went in completely blind to this meeting, there was no pre-cursor, nothing like that. I went in with pen and paper ready to take notes about the future, and the future was... you're finished."

Adjusting to the abrupt news was one thing, but what Suzanne really struggled with was the reaction from her colleagues, who began averting their eyes and not addressing the elephant in the room:

"When I was leaving it was like it was my fault, It was like I had done something wrong. I worked there for over 4 years, I had cups in my face most days with people looking for €2 for somebody's brother's cousin's uncle who had a horse. And then I left ...  I didn't get a card I didn't get a goodbye, I literally took my bag and walked out of the company. It was just the cruelest thing ever, and I didn't talk about it for almost a year as a result, it was like pregnancy was a dirty word".

It's a fact that the world of radio is dominated by males, that's not a groundbreaking or controversial statement. After the redundancy, Suzanne was urged to take the legal route and explore her options, but she insisted it wasn't about the money. She had lost a job that she loved, and if she sued she feared that her reputation would be the next thing to go:

"At the end of the day, it's not about money. I lost my gig, I loved my job and also if I go and sue I don't want every other media outlet in the country to go 'yeah she's a troublemaker' I can't do that, I can't be that person".

It's been over a year since this happened to Suzanne and she says it's only a good thing that women, such as Vogue, are finally speaking out about what really happens when a woman gets pregnant in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, it's not always a time of celebration, for many its fear and uncertainty and people need to know that this goes on:

"It is a bit terrifying, but I'm all for Vogue...I'm giving it up to her for speaking out".

Hear more about the fears of being 'tarnished' in this week's episode of Girls With Goals. 

You can listen in on your iPhone or Android.