Taxing Women for Having Kids
The Motherhood Penalty
You’ve always wanted a family but it’s never the right time. In your twenties you’re single and starting a career. In your early thirties you’ve got a partner, but your career is full swing and it’s too good to risk.
Eventually, though, it’s now or never.
It will be fine, you think. You’re a valued employee with serious skills. If anything, having kids will make you more efficient with your time, and more determined to prove yourself at work. Your boss will appreciate that. Right?
A new survey of working moms by Jessica Heagren of That Works For Me, a company that helps busy moms find flexible work, says:
Don’t count on it.
Not only are most moms paid less after having kids, according to the study, but many return to full-time work only to find themselves in lesser jobs in an inflexible environment.
Within three years of having kids, the UK survey of 848 women found that 85% of new moms leave full-time work, while 19% leave the workforce altogether, citing a lack of flexibility or the prohibitive cost of child care. 40 of the 848 women surveyed lost their jobs while on maternity leave.
And while the pandemic may have created more flexibility for some employees, it hasn’t generally…
