Simon & Schuster lands Brearley '#MeToo reckoning for mothers'

Simon & Schuster has landed “the #MeToo reckoning for mothers” by writer and activist Joeli Brearley about new mums being pushed out of their jobs.

Fritha Saunders, editorial director, bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Marilia Savvides at PFD. Pregnant Then Screwed will be published in 2020.

Its synopsis reads: “This book is for the mothers who have been pushed out and pushed to the edge by their employer simply because they dared to procreate. It’s for the working mothers who feel riddled with guilt. It’s for the stay-at-home mothers who want to work but can’t. It’s for those who want to change the system so that their sons and daughters can be both caregiver and breadwinner. It’s for those radical enough to dream of a labour market that works for both men and women.”

Brearley said: “I am absolutely overjoyed to be working with Fritha Saunders at Simon & Schuster whose passion for this subject has been clear from the outset. This book is a call to arms for women who are sick of being sidelined, undermined and under paid because they dared to use their uterus.”

The book cites statistics showing 54,000 women a year in the UK are pushed out of their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity leave, a figure that has nearly doubled in the past decade.

Saunders explained: “I’m thrilled to be publishing Joeli’s important book. At a time when businesses and organisations are starting to become more transparent about issues that directly affect women such as the gender pay gap, it feels particularly timely to be publishing this ground-breaking book. I have no doubt it will challenge, inform and inspire in equal parts.”