The Mommy Wage Gap 

The Mommy Wage Gap

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Mothers are half as likely to be offered jobs as non-mothers -- and they get paid less for doing the same work. Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner are out to change that.
There's a lot of talk about family values in this country. Yet in most states women with children can be denied jobs or given less pay. just because they are mothers. The wage gap between mothers and non-mothers is now greater than the wage gap between women and men. In their new book. The Motherhood Manifesto: What America's Moms Want and What to Do About It (Nation Books). Moveon co-founder Joan Blades and consultant and author Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner ask: Isn't it about time that we actually started supporting families and mothers?
Joan Blades: I only became aware of the huge bias against mothers in the workplace a couple of years ago. I went. what's that about? You mean to say mothers are half as likely to be offered a job as non-mothers -- and they get paid less for doing the same work?" All of a sudden I could see why there are so many women and children in poverty. and why there are so few women in the halls of power. be it corporate or legislative.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner I'm a mom of two kids. and I've been juggling work and family for years. I've spent time as a stay-at-home mom. time doing contract work and time as a journalist. These issues are near and dear to my heart.
The book "The Motherhood Manifesto" and the organization momsrising came about because Joan and I saw problems shared by so many women in this country not being addressed. We both want to bring these issues into the daylight. so we can talk about them and work on solutions.
KRF: One study found that women without children make 90 cents to a man's dollar. women with children make 73 cents to a man's dollar. and single mothers. who often bear the burden of supporting their families the most. make 56 to 66 cents to a man's dollar.
Dr. Shelley Correll of Cornell looked for the root of the wage gap between mothers and non-mothers. She compared women with equal resumes and equal job descriptions -- with only one difference. One bio said the woman had children and the other bio did not have that information. Between equally qualified people. women with children were 44 percent less likely to be hired and were offered $11.000 lower starting salaries.
KRF: Identical. absolutely identical. And this is important because right now a quarter of our families with children under 6 live in poverty. Having a baby is a leading cause of poverty in this country. Most families need two working parents in order to stay financially solvent. and wages of mothers are a very important part of the family economy.
TM In some of the personal stories. you show families where both parents work to make ends meet. They parcel out vacations and sick leave very carefully. and it hardly leaves room for the miracle of birth.
JB: Of 168 countries in a global study. 163 have paid maternity leave. The U.S. is one of only five countries that does not. The only other industrialized country that doesn't is Australia. but they have universal health care. a year off unpaid. and some kind of subsidy for kids.
In the book we write about Salina. Pooling all her potential days off. she and her husband figured out that she could take one month off. Now only a month off with a newborn is bad enough. but then she went into labor early and the baby had to be in the hospital for the first couple of weeks. She was not about to spend her month off with the baby in the hospital. so she went back to work days after giving birth.
She took her month off when the baby came home. which was wonderful. But then what does she do? Well she was lucky -- her employer was highly sympathetic. She took her baby to work with her and learned how to breastfeed while working.
JB: Exactly. and that's where the poverty spells come in. because bottom line: Infants take really close care. and it's a hugely hard thing to leave your infant with anyone but the father or grandmother. Most mothers of new mothers are working too now.
KRF: I think you really hit on a point here with the paid family leave issue. because it radiates out into most of the other points in "The Motherhood Manifesto."
For example. we have somebody like Salina. who isn't in a high wage job. and has now taken all of her sick leave and all of her vacation leave. You can't even do that in all states. but she lives in Washington state and you can do it there. Now. what happens when the baby gets sick or she gets sick? She doesn't have any leave; she's used that up already.
She also has an issue of the cost of child care. which in this country is between $4.000 a year if you work full-time 52 weeks a year without breaks.
So all of these points are tied together: the high cost of child care. the lack of paid family leave. the low wages and even the health care issues. Most industrialized countries have some form of universal health care. We do not. All of this burden is mainly placed on the mother.
It's important to point out that in countries where there are family-friendly policies. we do not see the maternal wage gaps that we have here -- women with children making 73 cents to a man's dollar.
KRF: When we talk about work and family balance in America -- and we often use that phrase -- we put it all on the mother as an individual to figure out how to balance these issues. As if buying a calendar. maybe with a cute kitten on it. would fix everything. If you could just write in neater handwriting where you're supposed to be at what time ' But in fact. it's not just up to the mother.
We have a country of rugged individualists. but it's not just up to the individual mothers. When this many people have the same problems at the same time. this is a societal issue -- not a personal scheduling failure.
With MomsRising and with the book. we're saying: Let's bring these issues to light. Let's join together on MomsRising and say. we share these problems and we need to share our solutions. It's time to do that.
JB: All that may be true. but the book also offers stories of businesses that have chosen to make their work flexible and parent-friendly in a broad variety of ways -- and those businesses are thriving. It's good for business when work is good for the workers.
TM A woman who left a career to have a child and wants to come back into the work force -- someone who has experience. who's managed time well. who's handled lots of responsibilities -- will be rejected in favor of someone who may be just starting out '? when you give parents good jobs that are respectful of their responsibilities. you get huge loyalty. hard work and a very cohesive workplace. That has great value to the employer as well as the employee.
TM Worrying about the day or two she might take off because her child is sick ignores the fact that she's likely to be there for years if treated well.
KRF: People assume that maybe it's the mother's fault; they're not committed to their jobs. In fact. studies show that mothers who know their children are relying on them for food and a roof over their heads are often more committed to their jobs.
Retaining employees saves businesses a lot of money in recruitment and retraining costs. Often when there are flexible work options. we see a higher level of productivity because of that increased loyalty.
Flexible work options can be had in a number of different types of companies. One in the book. Johnson Moving and Storage -- not typically the kind of place you expect to find flexible work options -- worked it out with their moving van dispatchers in a way that was helpful for the company as well as for the employees. The owner told us very frankly that he was able to attract more highly qualified employees due to the flexible work options.
JB: I think we're having a problem with long-term thinking. Frankly. to have a vibrant future. we have to be taking good care of our kids. In 20 years they're going to be the engine of our country. We have to invest in them. and the best way to invest in them is to make it possible for their parents to do a fine job raising them.
Unfortunately. we keep thinking too short-term. For example. it's crazy that there are millions of kids without health benefits. It's crazy that we're not investing in quality early child care. because kids that get to school not ready to learn end up costing much more. They repeat grades and need extra tutoring.
Child care workers are pretty much the lowest paid workers in America. They have families to support too. and if they get an offer to do some other kind of work. they're going to take it. So kids don't get stability of caregivers. and young children need continuity.
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I appreciate the focus on women's underpaid labor. but the story creates an unnecessary divide between women with children and women without. as well as one between men and women who would choose to "parent" their children. One of the reasons for the wage gap may indeed be the number of women who have children and can afford to leave the paid labor force. They are mom's. but their "pay" comes from an informal source (family income perhaps). The key issues raised here seem to be parental leave. universal health care. and discriminatory hiring practices - all of which would be better-addressed if workers united. rather than separated based on essential categories of gender and "motherhood" - - thanks - kathy
The overclass will no doubt send you a nice check for this article. They like it when the American political debate is centered around identity politics--that way the overclass escapes scrutiny.This is the primary function of the Overclass's PseudoLiberal media infrastructure. which consists of magazines and websites designed for the American pseudoLiberals such as demcrats. etc.Divide and Rule--same as it ever was.....
I may have benefitted more as a single than as a married one but because I truly take marriage seriously. my wife and I were both prepared to sacrifice to keep each other's love and to enjoy some time with children which would have otherwise kept each of our childhood memories too seperate. Shame on the GOP and the "moderate" to "conservative" Democrats for misusing/abusing family values and pitting singles against married and vice versa just to satisfy their political expediency !Like I said to the above poster - saying that women's (or mothers) rights are not debatable by themselves because it divides men from women. mothers from non-mothers. etc is like saying you can't fight racism becuase it divides the races.Give it up already. Your argument is counter-productive and non-intelligent.
Well. the simplest thingto do is to have a living minimum wage and universal health care. with price controls for drugs. etc.But...How about not having kids at all?Why should our society. in a world as grossly overpopulated by humans as this one. encourage people to breed like flies? Why should an employer not have a choice as to who they hire? I wouldn't want people with children working for me because they are forever having to take time off work to deal with their kids' (real and/or feigned) crap...school transport. camp - whatever ad nauseum. They are also more tired. etc. in general. On the flip side. they are desperate at the moment. thanks to that idiot Bush's economic policies. so they would make good wage-slaves. as your article clearly indicates. How nice for Bush and his "guest worker" cronies.Still. why should those of us with no kids have to pay so much in taxes and other costs to support the tards out there that cant read the directions on a box of rubbers and end up with 4-5 kids? Why dont you tax THEM to support all these programs of healthcare and education that are continually being whined about? This BS about how people have some sort of "right to reproduce" is silly. considering mankind has no problem "regulating the population" of any other living thing on the planet.Oh. and we should start a selective breeding program too. Too many humans on this planet are genetically dysfuntional. or simply inferior/sickly (using the same criteria that one would apply to any other animal population). No doubt due in large part to the non box-reading crowd outbreeding people of intellect and quality. Look at any study correlating education and childbirth rates. as an example.
Having a baby is a leading cause of poverty in this country. Most families need two working parents in order to stay financially solvent. and wages of mothers are a very important part of the family economy.Why not think before procreating?Why not work toward the goal of not working--or at least. not working a job? you can parent and possibly educate your offspring. and still have time to "work" --FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE.Live simply.Avoid mortgages and new-car payments.Avoid procreating if there's even a slight chance you will have to leave your child/children in the care of somebody/something else.
we should just allow minorities and women to be discriminated against for the sake of pushing for progressive taxation and other so called true left issues. come on brown people. take one for the team! there are more important issues to think about than if you get beat up by a cop. ladies. by all means know your place! you're not helping when you keep whining about things like how the big men are paying you less. just suck it up and do the work. be happy that you get paid at all. in the name of the Greater Good.typical democrats. go on and play the politically correct role and talk a good game about racial and gender equality (some actually deluding themselves into believing we have already achieved it) but then when it actually comes down to having to deal with those uncomfortable issues. they'd rather talk about money.
The data shows that single mothers are not very "smart". For a woman. it takes intelligence. and critical thinking to select a man that wont bug out when the going gets rough. Those women who make poor choices in that regard end up as single mothers. These are important decisions and alot of women make them lightly. So it's no surprise that they make less money. After all. if one cannot show competence in choosing a mate. what are the chances that they will show competence in the workplace? I don't mean to anger any single mothers but it must be said.
Funny sometimes to see the vitriol that these articles generate and how it strays from the issue...From my point of view the problems discussed in the article are no surprise... working mothers don't fit into the image of employability that those in power subscribe to. They won't turn their back on their children and leave them untended while they work the extra mandatory overtime hours that the corporate world demands (yes. mine expects 13% overtime from me for which they do not pay me). They might put the well-being of their children ahead of the well-being of the corporation. And I suppose if a father shows signs that his family is more important than the corporation they'll tie a couple cement blocks to his neck too.As long as corporations own the country and own the government the continuing movement of workers on all levels from 'valued employee' to slave will continue... how long will it be before employers issue chits good only at the overpriced 'company store'? Did you notice the Personnel departments all changed to the departments of 'Human Resources? Ever notice how corporations treat 'resources'. natural and otherwise? Resources are meant to be Exploited. and abandoned when exhausted.Despite what you've heard. the truth is that corporations do not have a legal personhood. and corporations are granted a license to exist and do business by the government. If the people can wrest control of government from them. then the corporations can be forced to execute their businesses in a manner that benefits America. the America of families. the America of diverse races and religions and belief systems- or their charter can be revoked and they won't be able to do business. They would also begin to carry their fair share of the tax burden of the country. and then maybe the government would have enough income to support things like health care and day care. things that are important to the 95 percent of the people that have 5 percent of the wealth... and the businesses wouldn't be able to force America into wars in order to 'export democracy' which is simply another term for raiding the resources of other countries to the benefit of- who else- corporations.
That old James Brown song "It's A Man's. Man's World" played in my head as I read this article. Yes. most know that wages are unequal and that women w/o kids have a better change of landing a job than one with children. I'd like to know why we have this inequality in pay when women seem to bear the brunt of raising children AND holding a job. It is morally wrong.There has been a proposal to be paid for being a housewife. but would men consider being Mr. Moms? life is about making a choice. then women should get paid if they become a housewife. Having children these days is causing families to sink deeper in debt. But they're our most precious investment. Women have a lot to do in addition of taking care of themselves as well. I'd like for our society to pay women better. It'll make for a more idealistic country. The USA is nowhere near that. ("It'll be the day when the Pentagon holds a bake sale to buy a bomber") They're not "desperate". they only want their slice of the economic pie. which is made smaller by debt.The wage gap is real. No bridge long enough has come close to traverse it.
I probably won't have that kid after all. Why is this world so goddamned depressing all the time? I just want one lousy kid without giving up my financial independence and personhood. Why is that so much to ask?
I don't know where the data for this argument came from. but I wonder if one factor in this "wage gap" is that women with children choose to spend more time at home and less time working after they have children (and. should be referred to as an "income gap". They may keep the same profession. but work less hours and therefore have less salary. Or that they may make other sacrifices for the child (i.e. taking a lower-paying job to be closer to home. not being able to take promotions out of the area. turning down promotions because it would mean more time at the office. etc). And I don't see much way around that. If a woman (or couple) chooses to have a child. then there will ultimately be sacrifices. My parents told me many times of all the promotions they missed out on because they couldn't uproot and move. etc. I think a more interesting project would be to see some sort of comparison of the work output of parents versus non-parents.
Until all these issues are addressed as a class issue. based on equality and solidarity with all working people domestic and global. problems like these will remain. Capital likes it that way. and so it shall remain.
If fewer children were born to women in situations which patently are not adequate for raising children (they plan on going on to welfare the second they realize they are pregnant because everyone realizes it is the only way they can make it. probably because they already have one child. no job experience. etc.) the society would be more supportive of those women who do have children.There is more support from mothers in Europe; mothers in Europe are older. have far fewer children and far more European women have no children at all.30% of German women age 40-45 have no children. This gets the government's attention.In reaction to all that non-procreation. most European governments are further sweetening the pot for mothers as we speak.There is a pattern here.American women need to refrain from having children until conditions and support improve.As long as we take all this pressure. discrimination and deprivation onto ourselves and bear the future labor force for the economy anyway. why should they do anything to help us? Just make a life for yourself without children.I have no children. I'm 48 and I'd advise ANY WOMAN to take this route. It's great. I have lots of freedom. etc. Why weigh yourself down with something no one appreciates anyway? Get past the lizard brain. ladies.For the good of children!Jan VanDenBerg
We speak of flexible jobs and work schedules without taking into account that the big block of jobs women have cannot be manuevered around. Most women fall into the same job fields---teaching. secretarial work. We have set hours and sometimes set years. You can't stop in the middle of a lesson to fill up your breast pump. You can't file office papers at home. I'm not going to my dentist's house to get work done. I can't change library hours so the branch closes every three hours so I can breast feed. Do work policies need to change? but not as much as our social policies in general. our attitudes about work. and our attitudes about child rearing.
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