Sydney, Australia – March 5, 2025 – Every year, businesses flood LinkedIn with International Women’s Day platitudes, urging women to “believe in themselves” and “speak up.” Yet, working mothers continue to face systemic discrimination, often being quietly pushed out of their jobs. The narrative of “leaning in” ignores the fundamental reality: the system wasn’t built for them.

What happens when women do speak up? Too often, they are met with redundancy, sidelining, or subtle yet effective forms of dismissal. This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s a systemic issue.

For Elaine Graham-Quirke, this reality struck twice. She was made redundant for calling out workplace bullying and, devastatingly, again while pregnant.

At the time, it was devastating. Now? She wouldn’t change a thing.

Instead of letting the system define her, Elaine built something different—The Wild Ones Agency, where success and fairness go hand in hand.

“Losing my job while pregnant was devastating,” says Elaine. “But it unexpectedly set me free. It ignited a joy, resilience, and a mission far greater than any job title.”

This International Women’s Day, Elaine challenges the status quo: “Women don’t need empowerment workshops and talks; we need businesses to stop firing us for having children. We need a workplace revolution.

In Australia, there are laws against pregnancy discrimination, but there are also loopholes big enough to push entire careers through. Employers can restructure, eliminate roles, or quietly push women out under the guise of “business needs.”

“We’re creating a blueprint for how the industry can do better. The Wild Ones Agency is proving that workplaces can be wildly successful without sacrificing their people—by working with brands that value women, family, and fairness. We’re not just calling for change—we’re building it.

“I don’t want to just talk about the problem. I want to show women what’s possible when you stop asking for a seat at the table and start building your own.”

From big brands to bold impact: The Wild Ones Agency

The Wild Ones Agency is built on the belief that businesses can be wildly successful and deeply human. We prioritise people over profit in the way we work—delivering high-impact marketing with integrity and creativity.

“We choose to collaborate with businesses that are a strong fit—those looking to grow with authenticity, ambition, and a commitment to excellence. Our best work happens when we partner with brands that align with our expertise, whether in luxury, e-commerce, fashion, finance, or lifestyle. It’s about the right fit, not rigid rules.”

“Our experience working with global brands like Burberry, Net-A-Porter, Cartier, Visa, and Samsung allows us to bring big-brand strategies to smaller businesses ready for significant growth. We also dedicate 5% of our time to pro bono work for charities like ReLove.”

We are building a community of business leaders who want to do better—who believe success shouldn’t come at the expense of fairness.

www.thewildonesagency.com.au

Call to Action: It’s Time for Real Change. We need action

1. Close the Pregnancy Discrimination Loophole – Employers must prove that redundancies during
2. Enforce Return-to-Work Guarantees – Women should never return to a lesser role or reduced pay after maternity leave.
3. Strengthen Workplace Protections – Stronger financial penalties for businesses that quietly push mothers out.
4. Encourage Equal Parental Leave – Fathers need to take equal leave to reduce the hiring bias against women.
5. Reward Ethical Employers – Government incentives for businesses that actually walk the talk.

The silent epidemic: Pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

Link: unisa.edu.au

• Workplace discrimination against pregnant and parent workers is systemic:

○ 89% of pregnant workers, 84.7% of those on parental leave, and 91.8% of returning parents reported experiencing discrimination.

○ 22.4% of returning parents were made redundant, restructured out of a job, or had their employment terminated.

○ 45.1% of returning parents were given fewer career advancement opportunities.

• Women face hidden but widespread bias in Australian workplaces:

○ 25.4% of pregnant workers felt they had to hide their pregnancy.

○ 43.9% of returning parents received negative comments about working part-time or needing flexible hours.

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Elaine Graham-Quirke, Founder

The Wild Ones Agency

[email protected]

0426508517

www.thewildonesagency.com.au

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainequirke/

www.instagram.com/thewildonesagency and

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wild-ones-agency

Media Contact
Company Name: The Wild Ones Agency
Contact Person: Elaine Quirke
Email: Send Email
Phone: +61 426508517
Address:21 Thornton Street, Darling Point
City: Sydney
State: NSW, 2027
Country: Australia
Website: www.thewildonesagency.com.au