How Much Is Your Wife and Mom Worth?
The Great Recession has not yet loosened its grip. Millions have lost their jobs since 2008. Some are still unemployed, some have been displaced and some are underemployed. And, now the results of a 2010 study of laid-off workers across the United States, shows that married moms spent more time between jobs and were overall less likely to find new jobs compared with married dads, and once re-employed, married moms experienced a decrease in earnings of $175 more per week compared with married dads.
The study reveals a newer trend in which single, childless women seemed to fare better when seeking re-employment than single, childless men. But, when these women found new jobs, their change in earnings was similar to that of single men without kids.
Women have received less pay for their labor than men since women first began entering the labor market in significant numbers. In addition, they have had to fight for acceptance in the workplace; combating the stereotype that a women's place is in the home looking after the home and children. One of the new trends of The Great Recession is the growing numbers of men who now are the primary caregivers of their children and maintain the home.
"These findings hold true across different backgrounds, such as occupation, earnings and work history," said study co-author Brian Serafini, a University of Washington sociology graduate student. "This implies that laid-off moms aren't just taking part-time jobs or seeing being laid off as a way to opt out of the workforce and embrace motherhood instead."
Serafini and co-author Michelle Maroto, who will present their findings Aug. 20 at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver, Colo., say that their study supports the notions of a "motherhood penalty" and a "daddy bonus" in the workplace.
"Our study provides evidence of labor market discrimination against women whose family decisions may signal to employers a lack of commitment to the workplace," said Maroto, formerly a UW sociology graduate student and now an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Alberta.
Although this study compiles data from the past several years, given the history of working women in America, one wonders if this disparity has not always been the case of women returning to the workplace.
Join the Conversation