For many women who become mothers, the greatest professional hurdle they'll need to overcome has little to do with "work-life balance." Whether you call it the "Mommy Bias" or the "Parenting Penalty," in today's Corporate America even the most focused, confident, productive, and ambitious women lose out on promotions, key assignments, and inclusion in office dynamics when they have children. In the style of #GIRLBOSS or Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Here's the Plan: Your Practical, Tactical Guide to Advancing Your Career During Pregnancy and Parenthood offers an inventive and inspiring roadmap for working mothers steering their careers through the parenting years. Sure, we're seeing more workplaces espousing family-friendly cultures and setting corporate examples: Mark Zuckerberg's two-month paternity leave, for example. But each day also seems to bring another high-profile conflict between parenting and the workplace to light. The truth is that we can't look to Corporate America and individual companies to offer a blueprint of a better way, to offer a reasonable and informed method of allowing women to work hard and succeed while raising kids. Since they won't do it, Allyson Downey has. Here's the Plan is a practical how-to map for dealing with the obstacles between you and your career goals. Downey advises readers on all practical aspects of ladder climbing while parenting, such as negotiating leave, flex time, and promotions. Instead of just coping with the Parenting Penalty, Downey shows us how to conquer it, with visionary and responsible advice for all of the difficult, interpersonal challenges that can arise for mothers with careers.--Provided by publisher.

The ins and outs of family leave -- Putting your plan into action: preparing for your leave -- Making a change: when family planning and job searching coincide -- Family responsibilities discrimination and pregnancy discrimination -- Maternity leave -- Hiring a caregiver -- Returning to work -- What to do to drive change.