The Motherhood Wage Penalty Revisited: Experience, Heterogeneity, Work Effort, and Work-Schedule Flexibility

ILR Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Anderson ◽  
Melissa Binder ◽  
Kate Krause
Keyword(s):  
Work Schedule ◽  
Work Effort ◽  
Wage Penalty ◽  
Schedule Flexibility ◽  
Motherhood Wage Penalty

The Motherhood Wage Penalty Revisited: Experience, Heterogeneity, Work Effort, and Work-Schedule Flexibility

ILR Review ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Anderson ◽  
Melissa Binder ◽  
Kate Krause
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Graduates ◽  
Wage Gap ◽  
Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽  
Work Schedule ◽  
Work Effort ◽  
Wage Penalty ◽  
Schedule Flexibility ◽  
Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽  
High Skill

This paper seeks an explanation for the well-documented wage disadvantage of mothers compared to women without children. An analysis of data from the 1968–88 National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women shows that human capital inputs and unobserved heterogeneity explain 55–57% of the gap. Further analysis suggests that mothers tended to face the highest wage penalty when they first returned to work. A finding that medium-skill mothers (high school graduates) suffered more prolonged and severe wage losses than either low- or high-skill mothers casts doubt on the work-effort explanation for the wage gap, according to which women reduce work effort in response to childcare duties. The authors instead cite variable time constraints: high school graduates are likely to hold jobs requiring their presence during regular office hours, and are unlikely to gain flexibility by finding work at other hours or by taking work home in the evening.

The Motherhood Wage Penalty in Spain

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Alberto Molina ◽  
Víctor M. Montuenga
Keyword(s):  
Wage Penalty ◽  
Motherhood Wage Penalty

scholarly journals Compensating wage differentials and the labor market re-entry of mothers: Evidence from a factorial survey

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Drasch ◽  
Martin Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Wage Differentials ◽  
Job Characteristics ◽  
Willingness To Accept ◽  
Compensating Wage Differentials ◽  
Factorial Survey ◽  
Wage Penalty ◽  
Motherhood Wage Penalty ◽  
Entry Decision

Mothers still earn substantially less than women without children; this discrepancy is often referred to as the motherhood wage penalty. This paper examines one possible explanation for this penalty: the willingness to accept lower-paying jobs that have more favorable characteristics that help women reconcile family and work. This idea was formulated based on the theory of compensating wage differentials (CWDs). A factorial survey is used to empirically examine the willingness to accept lower-paying jobs. An online survey comprised 398 women who interrupted employment due to family reasons. The results suggest that mothers are willing to accept lower wages for better job characteristics and that in addition to wages, non-monetary characteristics are also important in shaping the re-entry decision.

scholarly journals The motherhood wage penalty: A meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 88-89 ◽  
pp. 102416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska ◽  
Anna Matysiak
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Wage Penalty ◽  
Motherhood Wage Penalty
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document