It’s about mother-effing time.
Audrey Gelman, CEO of women-focused shared workspace business The Wing (and Lena Dunham’s BFF), appeared on the cover of Inc. Magazine’s October issue. The cover makes her the first “visibly pregnant CEO” to grace the cover of a business magazine, she shared on Twitter.
A writer for the publication tweeted about the history-making moment as well.
“It’s a huge day for @Inc as we debut the cover of our October issue, featuring the first pregnant CEO on the cover!” wrote Inc’s Christine Lagorio-Chafkin. “It was fascinating and an honor to profile @audreygelman of @the_wing as it reaches fast growth internationally.”
In 2012, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer was featured on the cover of Fortune’s “The 50 Most Powerful Women” issue. Mayer was pregnant at the time, but declined to be photographed for the magazine, per The Atlantic. Due to this, Fortune opted for an older photo of Mayer in which she did not appear pregnant.
The Wing, a chain of co-working spaces originally intended to be a community for women — complete with pump rooms and a “women-focused lending library” — has weathered its share of controversy. The company was hit with a gender-discrimination suit in 2018. It now allows male members as well.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, so I think it’s so important for women to see that it’s possible to run a fast-growing business and also to start a family,” Gelman told “Today” of her decision to do the photoshoot with Inc.
“My hope is that women see this and again feel the confidence to take greater professional risks while also not shelving their dreams of becoming a mother and starting a family,” Gelman added.
It’s an image that seems to be sorely needed in today’s business landscape. Childcare provider Bright Horizons published a study titled “Modern Family Index 2018” in January that found that 41% of Americans perceive working moms to be less devoted to their jobs.