Maternal Resilience Survey - The Regulation Collective

Maternal Workforce Assessment — The Regulation Collective

The Regulation Collective

Maternal Workforce Assessment

Section 1 of 8

About You

Demographics

These questions help us understand who is taking the survey. Your answers are completely anonymous and used for research segmentation only.

How old is your youngest child?

Under 1 1–3 years 4–6 years 7–10 years 11–14 years 15–18 years (senior secondary) 18+ (adult children)

How many children do you have?

1 2 3 4 or more

What is your current employment arrangement?

Full-time Part-time Casual / Contract Self-employed

What industry do you work in?

Education Healthcare Government / Public Sector Professional Services Finance & Banking Technology Not-for-profit Retail / Hospitality Construction / Trades Other

What is the size of your workplace?

Under 20 employees 20–99 employees 100–499 employees 500+ employees

What is your parenting arrangement?

Two-parent household — shared parenting Two-parent household — I carry most of the load Single parent Shared custody Prefer not to say

How long have you been a working mother?

Less than 1 year 1–3 years 4–6 years 7–10 years More than 10 years

What is your highest level of education?

Secondary school (Year 12 or equivalent) Certificate / Diploma (TAFE or equivalent) Bachelor’s degree Postgraduate degree (Masters, PhD, or equivalent)

D9 — Optional

Do you identify with any of the following?

Anglo-Australian / European background Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Asian African Middle Eastern / North African Latin American / South American Prefer not to say Other

Section A — The Masking Tax

What It Costs to Keep Going

How you show up at work — and what it takes from you.

This survey is completely anonymous. Your responses cannot be traced back to you or your employer. Please answer honestly.

How often do you conceal how you are really feeling at work in order to appear capable?

Never Rarely Sometimes Often Every day

When you conceal how you are feeling at work, how does it affect you by the end of the day?

No noticeable effect Mild fatigue Noticeably drained Significantly exhausted Unable to function normally at home

If your workplace offered a brief 5-minute regulation break during the workday, how likely would you be to use it?

Definitely not Unlikely Maybe Likely Definitely

What would genuinely help you manage your energy and focus during the workday? (Select all that apply)

Flexibility over when I do focused work A manager who understands my load as a parent Permission to take a genuine break without judgment Fewer back-to-back meetings Someone to cover when I need to step away A quiet space to reset

Section B — The Invisible Shift

The Load Nobody Sees

The mental and logistical labour you carry alongside your paid work.

How often does managing family logistics (planning, remembering, coordinating) affect your ability to focus at work?

Never Rarely Sometimes Most days Every day

On a typical workday, approximately how much time do you spend on family-related mental or logistical tasks (before, during, or after paid work)?

Less than 30 minutes 30–60 minutes 1–2 hours 2–3 hours More than 3 hours

Thinking about the overall family mental load — planning, remembering, organising, anticipating — what proportion do you carry?

About 50/50 with my partner About 60% falls on me About 70% falls on me About 80% falls on me 90%+ falls on me — I carry it all

How often do the combined demands of work and parenting exceed what feels sustainable for you?

Never Rarely Sometimes Most days Every day

Section C — The Workplace Gap

What Your Workplace Actually Provides

The support you receive from your manager and employer — and how well it fits.

How well does your direct manager understand the impact of parenting on your capacity at work?

Not at all Slightly Moderately Well Completely

How safe do you feel telling your manager that you are struggling with your workload?

Not safe at all Mostly unsafe Neutral Mostly safe Completely safe

Has your employer offered you any of the following? (Select all that apply)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Flexible work arrangements Return-to-work support or coaching A parental support program Mental health awareness training Nothing specifically for working parents

If you have used any employer-provided support (such as EAP), how well did it address your specific experience as a working mother?

Did not address my experience at all Slightly helpful Somewhat helpful Helpful Very helpful — it understood what I was going through N/A — I have not used support

If your employer offered a structured program designed specifically for working mothers, delivered during the workday, how likely would you be to participate?

Definitely not Unlikely Maybe Likely Definitely

Section F — The Career Cost

What Motherhood Has Cost Your Career

The professional price you’ve paid — not by choice, but because the system offered no alternative.

Since becoming a mother, have you done any of the following because of your responsibilities as a parent? (Select all that apply)

Reduced my hours or moved to part-time Turned down a promotion or leadership opportunity Declined a project, secondment, or stretch assignment Moved to a less demanding role Left a job I valued Accepted a pay cut in exchange for flexibility None of the above

If you had adequate support (at work and at home), do you believe you could perform at a higher level professionally?

No — I am at full capacity regardless Slightly higher Moderately higher Significantly higher Much higher — the gap is substantial

Compared to before you became a mother, how would you rate your confidence in your professional capability?

Much lower Somewhat lower About the same Somewhat higher Much higher

Section G — The Identity Shift

Who You Are Now

The parts of you that changed when you became a mother — and what that means at work.

Do you feel you have lost parts of your professional identity since becoming a mother?

Not at all Slightly Moderately Significantly Almost entirely

How often do you feel pulled between your role as a professional and your role as a mother — feeling that neither gets your full attention?

Never Rarely Sometimes Most days Every day

Section H — The Body’s Evidence

What Your Body Is Telling You

The physical and emotional signs that your load is more than sustainable.

On a normal workday, how much of your best professional self are you actually able to bring to your job?

All of it — I’m performing at my best Most of it — slightly held back Some of it — noticeably below my best Not much — I’m getting through the day but struggling Almost none — I’m surviving, not performing

How many days per week do you finish the workday feeling depleted — not just tired, but unable to recover before the next day?

0 days 1–2 days 3–4 days Every day

Which of the following have you experienced in the past month? (Select all that apply)

Difficulty sleeping or broken sleep Persistent fatigue that rest does not resolve Physical tension (jaw clenching, shoulder/neck pain, chest tightness) Difficulty switching off after work A feeling of dread before the workday starts Frequent headaches or migraines Digestive issues (IBS, nausea, appetite changes) Getting sick more often than usual Difficulty concentrating or making decisions Emotional numbness or detachment

Which of the following best describes your current situation?

Managing — no missed work I have missed work days because of my load as a parent I have seriously considered leaving my job I am actively planning to leave I have previously left a job because of my load as a parent

How long have you been experiencing this level of strain?

Less than 6 months 6–12 months 1–3 years 3–5 years More than 5 years

Section E — Final Section

Perceived Stress Scale

These four questions are from a globally validated stress measure (Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein, 1983). They allow us to benchmark your responses against published research — strengthening the integrity of this study.

In the past month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?

Never Almost never Sometimes Fairly often Very often

In the past month, how often have you felt that difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

Never Almost never Sometimes Fairly often Very often

In the past month, how often have you felt that you were able to control irritations in your life?

Never Almost never Sometimes Fairly often Very often

In the past month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?

Never Almost never Sometimes Fairly often Very often

Would you like to receive the published findings? (Optional)

Leave your email and we’ll send you a summary when the research is complete. No marketing, no spam — research findings only.

Thank you for your honesty.

Your responses have been recorded. You are part of a growing national dataset that will inform how Australian workplaces support working mothers.

The Regulation Collective delivers evidence-based maternal resilience programs to Australian organisations.

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— mothers have completed this survey