Even when controlling for other turnover factors, female professionals and managers opt out of the corporate world at a higher rate than their male counterparts.Where women comprise at least 47% of the U.S. workforce and 40% of the global workforce, what can we do to increase their retention, and in particular, the retention of working mothers? This talk makes the case for increasing support for women who are returning to the workforce after having a child, shifting the "motherhood penalty" into the "motherhood support system." From the micro level of individual families and companies to the macro level of the economy, benefits to supporting new working moms are clear. In other words...help a mutha' out. You'll be glad you did.

Karen Evans is an attorney with a background in higher education and entrepreneurship. She founded The Launch Professor and The Launch Professor @ Work in 2016 to provide support and coaching to women in their entrepreneurial and professional journeys. Karen is an adjunct faculty member at Lawrence Technological University and directs the university's Detroit Center for Design + Technology Design Accelerator in Midtown Detroit. Karen has experience teaching Entrepreneurship, Business Law, Rhetoric and, Management & Supervision. She has consulted with companies on employee culture and morale, and worked with entrepreneurs during their transition from solo firm to hiring employees and independent contractors. Karen is an Institute for Continuing Legal Education facilitator and panelist, a Lawrence Technological University Leaders & Innovators panelist, and has been featured on several news stations. Karen also runs Macaroni Kid Ferndale-Royal Oak, a hyperlocal website founded in 2013.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx