Equal Pay for Women (Especially Mothers)

We often hear about the gender pay gap and its adverse effects on women’s economic mobility, but we don’t discuss the increased impact of this pay inequality for mothers. While women in the United States make 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, full-time working mothers make only 71 cents for every dollar that working fathers make. This disparity is a loss of more than $20,000 per year.

In the past several years, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen mothers leaving the workforce at extremely high rates, often unable to afford the rising cost of childcare.

Closing this gap is not only important for mothers but also for their children. Research shows that children with working mothers have higher education and higher salaries in the future on average. When mothers are paid equally, their families thrive. At Better Together, we want to see a future where the gender wage gap is closed and women – mothers or otherwise – are paid fairly. How do we get there?

The Motherhood Penalty

The ‘motherhood penalty’ describes the disadvantages that mothers face in the workplace. Women find themselves penalized and discriminated against in the workplace as they try to balance both motherhood and career. Here are just a few of the justifications given for this discrimination:

• Concerns About Commitment: There is a misconception that mothers in the workplace are less committed to their work than other employees. This often leads to fewer promotions, raises and opportunities for mothers compared to their colleagues.
• Need for Flexible Schedules: Working mothers often require some amount of flexibility in their schedules to take care of their households: taking children to and from school, extracurricular activities or other commitments. This often works to the detriment of these mothers in evaluation periods and may cause issues with coworkers who feel that these employees are receiving some sort of special privileges.
• Taking Time Off: Women who need to stay home with sick children or take time off for maternity leave often find themselves disadvantaged as a result. Illnesses can easily spread through our schools and homes and children are especially susceptible. Working mothers often require time off to care for a sick child or even to recover from illnesses spread to them by their children. Maternity leave is also a necessity for many women who could find their careers stunted when they return.

Closing the Pay Gap for Mothers

Acknowledging the potential penalties can help us to get one step closer to closing this gap. 

Rectifying the disparities in pay between working mothers and their colleagues will be a concerted joint effort. Businesses and governments will need to commit to implementing policies and passing legislation that uplifts working mothers and supports their goals in both the workplace and at home. Here are a couple of focus areas that policymakers should focus on:

• Pay Transparency: When companies are transparent about pay, discrepancies can be avoided and identified and organizations are pushed to address gender pay gaps.
• Paid Parental Leave: Currently the United States does not have a federal paid maternity and family leave provision. Significant efforts toward passing such legislation would make a tremendous difference for working mothers and their families.
• Affordable Childcare: Both governments and businesses can invest in or subsidize childcare for working parents. In doing so, more opportunities will be created for women to have full-time work.

Why Does It Matter?

To put it simply, strengthening working mothers creates a next generation that is more educated and less likely to live in poverty. In our quest for diversity and equity in the workplace, we must invest in the talents and contributions of mothers rather than excluding them from the workforce. 

The economic boons to empowering working mothers are also a significant reason for us to invest in working mothers. A 2023 study suggests that closing the wage gap would add more than $7 trillion to the world economy. By increasing the purchasing power of women, we can significantly improve the economy the world over. As mothers are the primary buyers of their families, increasing their spending power would also boost our economy.

Finally, the potential benefits to individual families are numerous. Working mothers who are fairly compensated can provide more for their children, including education, extracurriculars and other opportunities. Families who are strengthened both economically and socially can thrive, reducing poverty and growing the economy, creating more opportunities for generations to come.