Turning the motherhood penalty into the motherhood opportunity:

A chat with Jen Murtagh and Sonja Baikogli-Foley

Over 375,000 Canadian women take maternity leave every year. A recent survey showed less than 1% reported feeling confident returning to work. Further data shows salaries for mothers are on average 12% lower compared to non-mothers. WHAT?!

Yup, true story. And there is no shortage of data, reports, and discussions on the power gap and penalties put upon working mothers. That has only been heightened during the pandemic, and until now there has been no significant action.

Enter Jen Murtagh and Sonja Baikogli-Foley, founders of Maturn Canada. Their own lived maternity and career experiences led to the creation of this national program and a huge passion to address the inequality and lack of guidance women experience when taking maternity leave.

Maturn’s comprehensive program is the first to provide support and tools to working mothers, as well as organizations, to help them successfully navigate the maternity process without enduring systemic penalties or sacrificing career goals. Their aim is to modernize the way women take maternity leave and eliminate the “motherhood penalty” so many women experience.

This is an awesome conversation about how Maturn is committed to turning the motherhood penalty into the motherhood opportunity.

Jen Murtagh, Co-Founder
With over two decades of experience spanning both corporate and non-profit, heart-centred leadership has been the guiding star of Jen Murtagh’s career. An award-winning and values-based C-Suite leader, Jen has successfully led and raised millions for national campaigns on anti-bullying, vulnerable youth, and advanced gender equity through her work with a variety of women’s organizations.

As an ICF accredited leadership coach, Jen supports women to live and lead bravely through her 1:1 coaching, workshops, speaking and signature Brave Leadership for Women program. Jen is a Business in Vancouver ‘Forty Under 40’ Award Winner and Greater Vancouver Board of Trade ‘Women of Promise’.

Jen is a community champion, who has volunteered thousands of hours for countless charities and in 2017 fulfilled a lifelong dream by travelling to Africa to lead mentoring + goal-setting workshops with non-profit One Girl Can. Jen is a mother and stepmother to four children who was inspired to co-create Maturn to serve mothers in a deep and meaningful way while advancing gender equity.

Sonja Baikogli Foley, Co-Founder

Sonja holds 15+ years of diverse experience in non-profit, public and private organizations and has always been drawn towards impact-driven work that genuinely makes a difference in the lives of others. Born to Iranian refugee-status parents in Sweden, she experienced her life from the eyes of displaced parents. These early experiences and hardships shaped Sonja’s foundation and made her the person she is today.

Educated in Sweden, Canada and Spain, Sonja began her career in media working in radio and continued to create change through her career — from participating in the United Nations, to serving as a board of director on the YWCA Canada Board for five years, to being appointed to the West Vancouver Police Board by the Province of BC in 2020, and most recently led the Intergovernmental Relations & Strategic Partnerships team at the City of Vancouver.

Sonja co-founded Maturn out of a desire to support women and turn maternity leave into an intentional year. She’s a proud mother of two who is driven to build a more equitable, compassionate and inclusive world for future generations.

Connect with Maturn:

https://www.maturn.com/

Social links

www.instagram.com/maturncanada/
https://www.facebook.com/Maturn-101881865346433
https://twitter.com/maturncanada
https://www.linkedin.com/company/maturn/