Georgie Dent: What Happens When We Support Parents Properly?

In this episode, I chat with Georgie Dent, one of Australia’s leading voices on gender equality, parental support, early childhood education, and the motherhood penalty. As CEO of The Parenthood, Georgie has spent years campaigning for a system that recognises, values, and properly supports the work of caregiving.Georgie shares her own lived experience, from her early career as a lawyer and journalist, to navigating severe burnout, to becoming a fierce advocate for parents and families across Australia.We unpack the structural drivers of the motherhood penalty, the economic impact of underfunded childcare systems, the cultural narratives that hold women back, and the practical policy changes that could transform families’ lives across Australasia.If you care about gender equity, the future of work, or raising children in a society that genuinely supports families, this conversation is essential listening.We speak about:· Georgie’s journey from lawyer to journalist to national advocate· The reality of burnout and why workplaces still misunderstand it· How The Parenthood is driving major policy reform across Australia· Why early childhood education should be treated as essential infrastructure· How the motherhood penalty affects families economically, emotionally and generationally· What governments must fix, and what businesses can do right now· Why fathers and partners are a crucial part of the solution· The cultural narratives that shame mothers (and how to rewrite them)· Practical change parents can push for in their own workplaces and communitiesConnect with GeorgieThe Parenthood: https://www.theparenthood.org.au/Connect with EmmaThis podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping." To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – [email protected] www.worksforeveryone.co.nz https://www.instagram.com/worksforeveryone/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mclean-9176217/