Every once in a while, a truly shocking story about inequality or discrimination against mothers in the workplace will make waves online, but the following evidence shows that this is an ongoing and widespread problem.
According to research carried out by business experts, women in Britain are up against lower pay and worse job prospects than men ‘for decades’ after taking maternity leave.
The alarming findings were made by a team at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which found that female employees are enduring what they have referred to as a ‘motherhood penalty’ as a result of taking time out to raise their children.
The study found that while the problem is across the board, older women in particular have fallen victim to more traditional ideas about mothers in the workplace. Research showed that these women were held to be ‘of lesser value’ than their male counterparts after taking maternity leave, and were offered less pay, fewer promotions and fewer full-time hours as a result.
The proof of this discrimination is there for all to see in the CMI statistics. While the gender pay gap stands at 6% for women aged 26 to 35, it increases to a whopping 20% for 36- to 45-year-olds.
Commenting on the findings, CMI Chief Executive Ann Francke shared her view as to why the ‘motherhood penalty’ exists: “It’s about the culture of success, about how he define who is successful; it’s about long hours…and not fitting work around the modern lifestyle.”
Have you been a victim of the ‘motherhood penalty’?
