The motherhood penalty which mothers pay and why

Not only that, becoming a mother can lead to a raft of less-tangible career setbacks for a mother: being overlooked for promotions, left out of training and education opportunities, and sidestepped from specific high-value projects that would otherwise be a catalyst for their advancement.

Women with higher educational qualifications are more likely to return to work. Parenthood penalties hit low-income mothers the most : with approximately half of low-income mothers are unemployed a decade on from the first child. Interestingly, this is contrasted by men who show no tendency to decrease their employment post-parenthood, no matter their income Ministry for Women.

Ministry for Women findings show that returning between months of birth will land a woman the highest median hours of work 30 while those returning in the 7thth month and 13th month or later on have a median of 27 and 22 hours respectively. This is in stark contrast to the fatherhood bonus: where the higher a male worker is on the pay scale when his children are born, the more he is poised to benefit from becoming a father in his career American Journal of Psychology.

Being perceived to want to be a parent or the ability to bear a child subject them to the same kind of bias and effects of working mothers. The powerhouse of the motherhood penalty is unconscious bias. It clouds perceptions of working mothers, and ringfences their actions and achievements in a way that undermines them and their capabilities when compared with their male and child-free counterparts.

As opposed to when men talk about their children and are viewed as caring dads instead, according to Anne-Marie Slaughter, the author of Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family and former director of policy planning for the U. State Department. Cite this Article MLA. Correll, Shelley J. Correll, S. American journal of sociology, 5 , Authors This article was written by Shelley Correll.

Stephan Benard. In Paik. Download from original source. Introduction Findings Methodology. Mothers were considered to be Doing so will eliminate the motherhood penalty — and bring us another step closer to economic equity for all. Having been a year-old single mom, I know how it feels to be poor and freaked out.

Every dollar that you bring in makes a difference. Unlike the majority of developed countries worldwide, the United States does not guarantee paid annual leave, paid time off for illness or family care, or paid parental leave. Without these policies, balancing the responsibilities of work and family can be difficult — especially for mothers. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of women and girls. Cookie Notice This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services.

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