Working motherhood changes the order of priorities in women's professional lives, and almost a third of them say they have faced forms of discrimination at work, according to a survey conducted by eJobs Romania in partnership with the Mamaz Foundation.

The research data shows that 40% of respondents say that, after becoming mothers, flexible schedules or the ability to work remotely is an eliminatory condition when it comes to employment. Another 29% give more importance to stability than rapid career advancement, and 18% say that the salary package has become more important amid increasing family expenses. Other criteria that a workplace should tick are a family-friendly organizational culture (no overtime), proximity to home or daycare, comprehensive health insurance, and an understanding manager, the research reads.

'This extensive list comes amid the obstacles they say they encountered when returning to work after maternity leave. 44% say they found it difficult to manage their schedule (daycare/nanny vs. work hours), 23% were affected by lack of sleep and chronic fatigue, while 29% had problems regaining confidence in their professional skills, reintegrating into the team, and understanding the new office dynamics,' said Ana Calugaru, Head of Communications at eJobs, an online recruitment platform.

As to the relationship with managers, 33% of respondents say that they benefited from understanding and support after returning from maternity leave, 28% did not notice any change in attitude, while 23% noticed a deterioration in the professional relationship.

In relation to colleagues, 26% declare that they feel a certain frustration from them when they have to leave at the end of the program, and 13% say that they feel isolated from the social circle at the office. Only 19% feel supported and say that, when they have emergencies with the child, colleagues take over their tasks.

The survey also highlights the existence of a feeling of discrimination. Thus, 17% of participants state that they have been discriminated against directly, by being excluded from important projects or promotion opportunities, and 14% indirectly, by comments, sanctions or the refusal of benefits. 28% cannot say for sure whether they were discriminated against based on their motherhood status, but they felt a change in attitude after returning to work, and 41% stated that they were treated fairly and did not notice any differences compared to the previous period or to other colleagues, the survey authors say.

At the same time, 40.2% of the participants admit that they choose to hide problems or delicate situations related to children, for fear that they might be perceived as the 'problem employee'. 21.4% do this rarely, only during very busy periods, and 38.4% choose to be completely transparent and do not feel the need to hide at such times.

According to the cited source, the impact of motherhood is also reflected on professional development. Almost half of the respondents (46.8%) say they deliberately put their careers on hold, while 19.6% believe their employer contributed to slowing down their career path. 23.8% say they continued to advance at the same pace, and 9.9% say they became more efficient and promoted.

In this context, one in two women participating in the survey said they would like to work in a field that would offer them more free time and a better balance between work and personal life.

If they could choose a single additional benefit offered by their employer, 34% of respondents would opt for days off dedicated to pediatric emergencies, 31.8% for a four-day work week, and 22.3% for reimbursement of kindergarten or after-school services, while just over 6% would want access to development courses or coaching for work-life balance.

The survey was conducted by eJobs Romania and the Mamaz Foundation between April and May 2026, on a sample of 1,200 women, of whom 75% are active mothers on the labor market.

The eJobs.ro platform offers access to a database of over 5 million CVs, as well as a multitude of efficient recruitment solutions.AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Mariana Nica; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)