Tackling the ‘Motherhood Penalty’? Start With Benefits

• Mothers earn, on average, 14 to 18 percent less than women without children • Gender-neutral leave benefits could prevent leave stigma, assist both mothers and fathers

Employers are starting to realize that there are costs to a workplace that penalizes mothers and caregivers: lower productivity, lost talent, damage to business reputation, and even claims of discrimination.

Widely known as the “motherhood penalty,” the wage gap among women with children and those without has remained virtually unchanged over almost 30 years, with mothers of three or more children making 18 percent less than childless women, mothers of two making 13 ...