Combating The Motherhood Penalty

A reader recently drew my attention to this post on Businessweek’s Working Parents blog about a new study suggesting that the motherhood penalty is very real:

Using fake resumes for two equally qualified candidates–one childless, one a mom—the researchers found that the mother was 100% less likely to be hired when she applied for a position. Mothers were consistently ranked as less competent and less committed than non-moms.  ”They were also offered $11,000 a year less pay, on average, than an equally qualified childless candidate,” [said Shelley J. Corell, one of the researchers].

The research received the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research at Boston College, and was part of a briefing paper that also included some fascinating “takeaways” from the other finalists.  Many of these recommendations point to long-term solutions that could help to overcome the mother/non-mother pay gap, including the following, all quoted directly from the brief.  See the original source for more info and attributions.

1.  Inroads by women into upper-status managerial positions “lift all boats,” even for women who do not attain greater status.  However, women managers must have real managerial authority and not just a title-change.

2.  In general, the cognitive development of young children is unimpaired by their mothers’ participation in the workforce.  In fact, reading scores for children of low-income moms who work are better than for those who do not work.

3.  Daily flexibility (having the option to come and go as necessary during the day, with short notice) is more effective in reducing work-family conflict than more fixed flex-time (flexible starting and ending times).

4.  Policies that provide childcare support or onsite daycare are more likely to increase women’s work involvement, which in the long-run, decreases women’s chances of living in poverty later on.  Long leaves of more than 3 months, on the other hand, have the opposite effect.

5.  Moreover, policies that encourage father involvement in childcare, such as leaves that only fathers can take, encourage more equal division of housework.

How do these big picture findings translate into practical actions for working mothers?  Here are my five takeaways for working women:

1.  Stay in the workforce and aspire to management.  Mentor younger women to do the same.

2.  Don’t feel guilty about working; you are not harming your child.

3.  Don’t make a big deal of asking for a formal flex-time arrangement.  Take what you need on a daily basis to pump milk, see your child at daycare, get home home, or catch the school play.

4.  Advocate for onsite childcare, if possible.  If that’s not an option, find a childcare center that’s close to your office so that you can see the baby during the day.  Have a sitter?  Ask her to bring the baby to your office at lunchtime to nurse or play for a few minutes.  Find ways of carving out time to see your child without having to ask for formal time off.

5.  Hold your spouse accountable.  Make sure he is taking on his fair share of childcare and housework.  This is absolutely key, and has been the secret of my ability to work and mother and blog all at the same time.

It would be wonderful if flex-time, part-time, and longer parental leave time didn’t present long-term penalties for women, but they do.  Work-life solutions must be as advantageous for companies as they are for individuals.  Whether it’s perceived or real, taking significant time off is considered a detriment for organizations.

The answer is for parents and non-parents together to confidently say that we will not work 60 -hour weeks, will not accept the current childcare options, and will expect (not request) that our employer allow us to take time for doctor’s visits, school plays and graduation ceremonies.

But working mothers need to hold up our end of the bargain too, by being efficient, skilled, and dedicated workers.  We can’t off- and on- ramp at will, expecting companies to recognize us in the same ways they recognize those who have worked consistently.  Time for us to get grounded in the reality of the work environment and change it from within.