Since having her first child in 2015, marketing manager Tamica Walker has repeatedly asked herself the same impossible question: Career or family?
Six months after giving birth, Walker was laid off.
“It felt like the message was clear—motherhood made me expendable,” she said.
To keep her household afloat, she launched her own consulting business, hoping the flexibility would allow her to balance work and motherhood.
Three years later, with her daughter a little older, she returned to the corporate world full-time with one of her former clients. But between 2019 and early 2023, Walker found herself logging 70-hour weeks—while also welcoming her second child. The grind left her exhausted, and she noticed opportunities for promotions slipped by.
“I’d see colleagues with less experience move up, while I was told I needed to ‘prove my commitment’ after having kids,” she said.
“I got tired of working so many hours to see my kids for maybe an hour a day,” Walker continued. “My husband and I evaluated, and we said it’s worth it for me to take a step back from what I’m doing and not work these crazy hours. That drove my decision in what I’m doing and where I’m working today.”
Her story reflects the choices millions of working mothers in the U.S. face. With women disproportionately more likely than men to assume caregiving responsibilities, many feel forced to step back, take lower-paying jobs with flexibility or leave the workforce altogether.
The cost is steep: Reduced earnings, stalled promotions and slower career growth.
What is the Motherhood Penalty?
Economists call it the Motherhood Penalty: the systemic discrimination, pay gaps and career roadblocks mothers face. Research shows hiring managers are less likely to hire mothers than women without kids. When mothers do get offers, the salaries are often lower.
Men, by contrast, don’t face the same penalty. Some even benefit from a so-called fatherhood bonus, with employers rewarding them with raises and promotions based on the assumption they are providers.
“Black mothers are punished for caregiving responsibilities, while fathers—particularly white fathers—are rewarded for the exact same thing,” said Dr. Michelle Holder, economist and author of The Double Gap.
The numbers
The statistics are stark:
- National Women’s Law Center: Black mothers earn just 50 cents for every dollar a white father makes.
- Bankrate analysis (2024): Full-time working mothers earned 35% less than full-time fathers—a gap that could cost women more than $600,000 over a 30-year career.
- Dr. Michelle Budig and Dr. Paula England’s research: On average, working mothers lose 15% of their income per child under age 5. For Black and Native American women, the penalty is closer to 20%.
“Over time, the compound effect of lower earnings can make it more challenging for working mothers—especially single mothers—to achieve important financial milestones, such as saving for retirement or buying a house,” Bankrate reported.
Why Black mothers face harsher penalties
For Black women, the motherhood penalty is compounded by systemic racism.
- The “Strong Black Woman” myth: Employers expect Black women to carry everything without complaint, yet stereotype them as “unreliable” when family demands arise.
- Industry realities: Black women are more likely to work in sectors without paid leave, childcare, or flexibility.
- The double bind: Black mothers face both gender and racial discrimination, creating unique barriers to advancement.
“Why are women doing that? It’s mainly because we still have an uneven distribution of care work that’s being done in the home, where women do more care work than men,” said Yara Rodgers, faculty director of the Center for Women and Work. “Sometimes women exit the labor market completely.”
A 2020 AARP study found that three in five caregivers are women. Even when women earn the same—or more—than their husbands, they still take on the bulk of childcare and household responsibilities, according to Pew Research.
The price of no paid leave
The U.S. is the only wealthy nation without guaranteed paid family leave. For Black mothers, that gap is devastating.
- Many return to work weeks after giving birth due to financial strain.
- Black women are less likely than white women to have access to paid leave.
- High childcare costs push many into lower-paying jobs with “flexibility” but no benefits.
Despite the obstacles, Black mothers continue to push back.
- Know your rights: Learn protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and anti-discrimination laws.
- Negotiate benefits: Ask for paid leave, remote work or flexible hours upfront.
- Find support: Organizations like the National Partnership for Women & Families and Black Mamas Matter Alliance offer advocacy and resources.
- Push for change: Support legislation for paid family leave and equity in the workplace.
“Black women cannot dismantle these barriers alone,” said DEI expert Dr. Tina Opie. “We need systemic change from corporations and policymakers alike.”
Five Facts About the Motherhood Penalty
1. Fathers are rewarded, mothers are penalized.
Having a child can boost a father’s earning power while reducing a mother’s. Research from Third Way found women lose an average of 4% of hourly earnings for each child, while men earn 6% more. Low-income mothers face the steepest penalties, while married, white, college-educated men reap the largest bonuses.
2. You can face penalties even without kids.
Married and childless women may still be judged as “likely mothers-to-be.” A recent hiring study found that married but childless women received fewer callbacks than single women with no children. Women with older kids were preferred because they signaled “low pregnancy risk and low costs associated with child-care chores.”
3. Mothers are seen as less committed to work.
A 2007 study by researchers Shelley J. Correll, Stephen Benard and In Paik found that identical résumés were judged differently once motherhood was mentioned. Mothers were offered lower salaries and rated as less competent and less committed to their jobs—a bias known as “status-based discrimination.”
4. Mothers can also be penalized for prioritizing work.
A 2010 study by Benard and Correll showed accomplished mothers were seen as less likable and less committed when they appeared highly career-driven. The expectation is that mothers should put family first—so when they don’t, they face backlash for “violating” traditional norms.
5. Bias starts with the résumé.
Hiring often begins with first impressions. Simply noting motherhood on a résumé can trigger assumptions about availability, competence and priorities. In short, working mothers face a no-win situation: They are penalized whether they appear too devoted to work or too devoted to family.
