Reshma Saujani

The Activist Fighting for the Structural Changes Moms Need and Deserve

After founding Girls Who Code and teaching a million girls how to program computers, activist Reshma Saujani turned to addressing the challenges that mothers face in the workforce. Originally launched as the Marshall Plan for Moms, Moms First — for which Saujani serves as Chief Executive Officer — strives for a fundamental shift in the way motherhood is valued based on three core pillars: childcare, paid leave, and pay equity. Moms First works with over 130 companies to promote policies that lift up women and families. The mother of two boys, Saujani has worked for over a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, aiming to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and advocating for mothers. She is the author of the bestselling books PAY UP: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It’s Different Than You Think) and Brave, Not Perfect. Her influential TED talk, “Teach girls bravery, not perfection,” has more than five million views globally and counting.

By Katy Brennan