Gender Discrimination Against Mothers

About 75 percent of the 68 million women working in the United States will become pregnant at some point in their careers. Women with children are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. labor force. In 1975, 47% of women with children under the age of 18 were employed; by 2008, this number grew to a notable 71% (Miner et al. 60). Compared to other workers, mothers are often viewed as less competent, less productive, and less committed to their job, which is assumed to result in increased absenteeism and resignation (Byron and Roscigno 5). Also, employers may doubt a mother’s ability to balance their work and home lives (Nunenmacher and Schnepf 172). A study conducted by Shelley Correll, Stephen Benard, and In Paik found that mothers were 79% less likely to be hired, 50% less likely to be promoted, and offered $11,000 less in salary than identical women without children. In the study, the subjects revealed that they assumed the mothers to be inherently less competent and less committed (Williams and Cuddy 96). Given these statistics, discrimination against mothers is one of the strongest forms of gender bias.

The wage gap between men and women is widely recognized, however there also exists a gap between mothers and women without children. While full-time working women without children earn 7 percent less than their male colleagues, mothers earn 23 percent less (Nelson 20). Even after controlling factors such as education, work commitment, and timing of return to the workforce after giving birth, working mothers earn 3% to 5% less than women without children (Miner et al. 60).

According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), pregnancy discrimination consists of “treating a woman unfavorably because o...

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...g costs (“Pregnancy Discrimination”).

Currently, eight states have passed laws requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers. In California, providing reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers has been law since 2000. Pregnancy discrimination charges in California have dropped significantly since the law was passed, indicating that the law helps employers and employees resolve issues without litigation (“Pregnancy Discrimination”).

Clear guidance, laws, and employer policies protecting the right to reasonable accommodations for those pregnant workers who need them will help end the hardship suffered by pregnant workers and their families when women are pushed off the job at the moment they can least afford it. It is long past time to make room for pregnancy on the job, and afford pregnant women the equal opportunity they deserve.