29 May 2018

Wage penalty of motherhood - revealed

From Nine To Noon, 9:29 am on 29 May 2018

New research is revealing how parenthood contributes to the gender pay gap, with motherhood coming at a significant price for most women. The Parenthood and Labour Market Outcomes study shows having children exacerbates existing gender wage gaps, and is especially noticeable for women who were in a high income bracket before giving birth. But while being a mother means decreased hours and wages, there's no such change for dads.The study examined outcomes in 2006-15 of non-parents and parents who had their first child in 2003-10. Dr Isabelle Sin is a Fellow at the Motu Economic and Public Policy Research think tank and co-author of the new paper for the Ministry of Women.