Motherhood: A Wage Penalty Against Women

     In 2015, 66.2 percent of mothers with children under 18 participated in the labor market. Previous studies suggest that mothers receive lower wages than non-mothers, known as a wage penalty. This study examined the... [ view full abstract ]

     In 2015, 66.2 percent of mothers with children under 18 participated in the labor market. Previous studies suggest that mothers receive lower wages than non-mothers, known as a wage penalty. This study examined the effect of motherhood on a woman's wage across occupation categories. Using data from the Nation Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the wages and occupations of women starting at the ages between 14 and 22 were tracked from 1979 to 2012. The model used in this study accounted for race, marital status, years of education, work experience, tenure at a job, and the location of residence for each woman. A comparison between mothers and childless women, in six different industry categories, was made to reveal the largest wage penalties by occupation type. The results of this study demonstrate wage penalties across occupation levels in all industries for mothers are very similar.