Leaving the Ladder Down

A funny, practical and crucial guide for women facing the life-changing prospect of returning to work after having children.

When Dolly had her children, the idea of returning to the fast-paced, all-consuming job she had previously loved felt daunting and somehow unprecedented, despite it being the experience of so many millions of women. She struggled to find material to galvanise and reassure her, and to make her feel that anything was possible.

In this book, Dolly aims to change all of that. Interweaving practical advice and her own personal experiences with anecdotes, life-hacks and guilt-avoidance strategies from a diverse range of women - from fashion designers to taxi drivers, journalists to actors, lawyers to doctors, bankers, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs - Leaving the Ladder Down is a gift for the next generation of women taking on the trials, challenges and general amusement involved in combining career and motherhood.

Equally empowering and accessible, and featuring serious advice from employers, employment lawyers and health specialists to boost knowledge and confidence, this book acts as a ’ladder down’ to the next generation of working women, from a generation who have experimented their way to making it work.

Dolly Jones is a journalist and creative digital consultant with over 20 years of experience. She started her career at British Vogue doing work experience in 1999 before going on to lead its digital operations for 15 years. She has worked and written extensively across Conde Nast’s full portfolio, including publications such as Vanity Fair, GQ and Tatler. Since leaving Conde Nast in 2018, she runs her own creative digital strategy business. Dolly lives in London with her husband and two children. This her first book.