The Fawcett Society (1), today released a report that calculates the impact that becoming a mum has on a woman’s earnings. The report, entitled ‘Not having it all: How motherhood reduces women’s pay and employment prospects’ is a new survey of existing research, drawing together the most recent data from academic and government sources. It finds that:
* Before becoming parents, men and women are equally likely to be employed but childbirth marks the start of a great divide which continues even after children have left home. Just over half (57%) of mothers with children under 5 are in paid work compared to nine tenths of fathers (2).
* Even those women working full time experience a pay penalty – partnered women without dependent children earn 9% less than men on average but for mothers with two children working full time the pay gap is 21.6% (3)
* Pregnancy can make women particularly vulnerable to discrimination. During the recent downturn there has been a marked increase in the numbers of women seeking help because they believe they have experienced pregnancy related discrimination. (4)
See full Press Release.
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