Phenomenon

In a society where women often suffer mother penalties due to their children. Mothers are disadvantaged at every turn in terms of hiring, pay, and daily work experience, causing the wage gap between non-mothers and mothers to be even greater than that between the two sexes. Hiring managers are less likely to hire women who have children than women without children, and when they are offered jobs, they are paid far less than other women; in contrast, men are not penalized for becoming fathers. Instead, there is some evidence showing that they increase their bonus.

 

According to statistics, 54% to 81% of women experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Most of them did not report their experiences. As more activities and campaigns occur to invoke awareness of workplace sexual harassment, an increasing number of women dare to say “no” to sexual harassment.

 

Causes & Explanations

Part of the explanation for such inequalities is the widespread social perception that women are still more likely than men to leave the workforce or work fewer hours because of caregiving responsibilities. Pregnancy and childbirth are physically taxing and take a long time to recover from, both physically and mentally. More importantly, babies and young children require near-constant care, yet many countries or workplaces do not have reasonable maternity leave policies, forcing women to make difficult decisions about returning to work, funding expensive child care, and trying to balance their professional lives with early parenthood, making it more challenging to re-enter the workforce; and, as a woman stays home for more hours, her prospects and earning potential diminish over time, even if she works part-time. This is why the gender wage gap widens as women enter their peak childbearing years.

 

While policy benefits such as paid family leave for both parents can help by making it easier for working spouses to share family responsibilities and integrate their work and family lives. But even in countries where these policies exist, the gender wage gap persists. This may be due to pressure on women to spend time with their children in the early years, or to women's preference to stay at home during their children's early years. Traditional workplaces and positions also still adhere to an outdated model that prioritizes long, continuous, traditional work hours - a fact that puts women at a disadvantage.

 

Current Status

In addition, With the outbreak and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rates have increased significantly, with an estimated 2 million mothers dropping out of the labor force based on relevant studies. Not only has this greatly reduced workforce diversity, but it has also had a devastating impact on the career and financial prospects of many more women. This period of job loss can damage their job prospects and even lead to poverty in old age later in life. In addition, research shows that women who are not financially independent are more likely to stay in unhappy or even violent marriages. 

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Actions

Many things can be done to achieve financial equality for mothers. There is universal childcare, paid family leave for both parents (and required family leave for fathers), child tax credits or monthly government payments per child, and guaranteed retirement benefits for mothers who leave the workforce to raise their children. In addition, many companies should also offer more equitable wages and benefits, such as more flexible work schedules, additional paid time off, on-site childcare and nursing stations, and job security during and after parental leave.