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My last job in the jewellery industry was well-paid, but it left me feeling empty...

I had no experience in the field, but I threw myself into it with enthusiasm: learning on the job, working overtime, putting in weekend shifts. After a short winter holiday, I was fired.

My boss told me plainly: “Your best isn’t good enough.” That sentence broke me but it also opened my eyes.

I wasn’t following who I really was: a writer. So I decided to take a break and focus on my own projects. As painful as it was, that pause brought me back to my true path. And I wasn’t alone in that feeling of being lost or in the deep desire to start again.

Today, I want to talk about the difficulties, often invisible, that a woman faces when she decides to return to work after a break. Why a woman? Because women are the ones who most often press pause on their careers: to raise a child, care for a loved one, or simply find themselves again.

Yet, according to a recent survey, 98.5% of them want to return to work.

The problem isn’t willingness. The problem is what they find (or don’t find) when they return.

The Hidden Barriers: Confidence and New Priorities

For many women, a career break, whether for childcare, health, or other reasons , comes with an invisible cost.

As one career coach puts it, even the most experienced professionals can feel “out of the loop” and suddenly rusty, which “can keep them from applying for the jobs they really want.” Studies confirm this loss of confidence.

Nearly half of women who took time off to raise children said they felt they had to choose between their career and their family, and 60% admitted to feeling nervous about going back. In my case, being told I wasn’t enough, despite all my effort, deeply damaged my self-esteem.

I now know that many women internalize that same message. Recent analysis highlights how career breaks leave blank spaces on a CV, leading recruiters to assume skills have faded. Women “internalize this belief” and end up accepting pay cuts or lower roles just to get hired.

In other words, the system often punishes those gaps, and even the most confident, ambitious women begin to question whether they deserve to aim higher. What I’ve learned through returning to writing is that a break can also be a period of growth or rediscovery.

LinkedIn found that 53% of people say they feel more capable at work after a career break, and 69% said the break helped clarify what they truly want.

The Data: Career Breaks in Context

Let’s look at the numbers. Career breaks are significantly more common for women.

According to LinkedIn’s global research, women are 64% more likely than men to report a career break. One-third of women stepped away from work for full-time parenting (only 7% of men reported the same). On average, women take their first break after about 8.9 years of work, compared to 10.3 years for men, reflecting the juggling act of early family life.

McKinsey’s analysis confirms the long-term impact: women in their 30s take career breaks 8 percentage points more often than men, and each break is roughly four months longer. Over a decade, that adds up: women’s total career break time is 42% longer than men’s, leaving them with about 14% less overall work experience.

These gaps have real consequences for pay. Nobel laureate Claudia Goldin’s research shows that career breaks create a “broken rung” in the salary ladder: a two-year break can reduce future earnings by 32%, and a four-year break by 45%.

In real terms, that’s hundreds of thousands of euros (or pounds, or dollars) lost over a lifetime.

Meanwhile, companies are losing talent: each year, about 150 million women worldwide leave the workforce, and roughly three-quarters of them struggle to return. These aren’t abstract figures: they’re mothers, caregivers, and professionals at the peak of their abilities and ambitions, sidelined by circumstance.

Motherhood: The Fifth Trimester

The situation becomes even more complex with motherhood. Returning to work after childbirth is often described as a double transition. A new mother isn’t just recovering physically and hormonally, she’s also stepping into a new identity. Harvard Business Review calls this phase the “fifth trimester”, when even a simple workday can feel like climbing stairs with your arms full of laundry.

Lauren Smith Brody and journalist Amy Joyce describe mothers “returning to work when their bodies (and hearts) would rather be elsewhere.” New mothers “deal with breast pain, leaking milk, the stress of balancing work and family, and the stigma that a mother can’t succeed professionally.”

Inadequate policies, lack of childcare options, and the “second shift” at home push many women to reduce their hours or leave entirely. Even those who return often find little support: inflexible hours, no breastfeeding accommodations, and subtle (or not-so-subtle) doubts about their commitment.

The result is a potent mix of exhaustion, guilt, and fear.

One study summed it up like this: the absence of workplace childcare and rigid schedules leave mothers feeling forced to choose every day - between their child and their career.

Building Support: Platforms and Communities

The good news is that awareness is growing, and solutions are emerging. Organizations, businesses, and tech platforms are beginning to confront the problem. In my research, I came across Ivee; a start-up founded by sisters Amelia and Lydia Miller.

They created Ivee to “prevent pay cuts” and “prevent female underemployment” upon return. Inspired by their mother’s struggles to re-enter the workforce, the Miller sisters built an AI-powered platform to change the rules. As they put it, they want women to “re-enter the workforce without losing their salary.”

Ivee offers a hub of short courses to refresh skills, mentoring and community connections to fight isolation, and a job board with flexible, returner-friendly roles. Lydia Miller says: “Women returning to work have valuable, diverse skill sets that have traditionally been overlooked. We unlock that potential.”

These efforts reflect a broader shift: companies are starting to understand that women on a break are not a problem, but an underused resource. LinkedIn even found that 51% of recruiters prefer candidates who explain their break and share what they learned a sign that prceptions can change, if we let them.

Across the corporate world, more return-to-work programs are emerging, from Google’s “reboot” year to Harvard Business School’s reacHIRE initiative, all recognizing that supporting this population is also smart business.

Women like Amelia Miller are amplifying the message, helping employers “rebuild the ladder, one rung at a time” for women who paused their climb.

On a personal level, connecting with support networks can make a huge emotional difference. It helps to see success stories, women who took a break, returned, and thrived in new fields.

Looking Forward: Claiming the Next Chapter

I never planned for a break, and certainly never imagined it would end with me writing novels instead of evaluating gemstones. But that step back gave me perspective.

It taught me what I truly value and helped me rediscover strengths and passions I’d left behind. My journey led me back to my true calling; but I know that many other women are still stuck in that uncertain gap between jobs.

The data and personal stories are clear: it’s time for a cultural shift. Employers must stop treating CV gaps as failures and start celebrating the resilience and adaptability of those who took a pause. Initiatives like Ivee’s are already lighting the way, and I hope more companies and communities will follow.

To every woman reading this and feeling stuck: you are not alone, and your break does not diminish your worth. Believe in the unique strengths you’ve developed and share them with pride. Support exists - in communities, in networks, and in platforms built for you.

The hope is that more enlightened companies, like Ivee, will continue to lead the way.

At Panelle, we’re committed to telling these stories and building networks for all women in transition. Because every pause can become a powerful new beginning.

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