There is no denying the gender pay gap between men and women continues to exist, but when it comes to mothers, the hit to their income is even greater.
According to a recent report by the American Sociological Review, women face a “motherhood penalty” of 4 percent of income for each child they have. If women are highly skilled and highly paid, that percentage climbs; for high-earning moms, the penalty is 10 percent per child. Women who are progressing in their careers at a rapid rate tend to quickly increase their salary, so taking any kind of leave to spend time raising kids is more of a compromise in the long run.
Meanwhile, men enjoy an income boost when they have children. According to Bloomberg, which analyzed the report, men “get a fatherhood bonus, an increase of more than 6 percent in earnings for every child they have. To employers, being a dad signals stability and commitment.”
