First things first, I am not a mom. Nor am I a director. But I have spoken with many moms who are directors and many directors who aren't moms.

Second, this discussion is inherently sexist because we don’t ever have a conversation about directing while fathering.

This past weekend, Elizabeth Banks made some news at PGA’s annual Produced By Conference when she spoke about why she pulled out of directing “Pitch Perfect 3,” which was announced on Friday. She said that the development of the film had been taking longer than expected, and it had moved out of the window she had planned, because she had to shoot another movie in the summer. As a result of the delays, “it bumped up against my parental responsibilities, which made me feel uncomfortable.”

I am impressed with her honesty. Even a year or two ago, a woman director with only a single movie (albeit a hugely successful one) under her belt would not have been this honest about the conflict that moms run into as directors.

Let’s be clear, moms run into conflicts on all jobs, not just directing, and they keep moving forward. Most women have to; they have no choice. Elizabeth Banks does have a choice. And she’s also still got the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot and “The Red Queen” on her docket. Let’s be honest, it’s not only the mothering side that freaks the industry out. Pregnancy freaks out lots of folks, especially the money people. I’ve heard from directors who were very pregnant who had meetings and did not get up to shake hands because then the secret would be out. I’ve heard from directors who got a green light when they were about to give birth and said, “Great, I can be there in two weeks.”

And then there are also women who want to not work and take some time off. These women seem to fall off the charts and are penalized for wanting to care for their families, which actually should be a good thing. Women fall out of lots of careers, not just directing.

The thing is, this is not an issue for the majority of cis-men. They just keep going and rely on their partners to take care of the kids if they have them. We all know that directing is hard for anyone, and the penalty that women pay for being moms in this business is brutal.

This conversation is part of the push that we are seeing in this industry now. Women are no longer afraid to speak. To be honest. To demand change. These are voices that we need in our world. Diversity of voices is key to a vibrant culture.