On Mother's Day, we celebrate all that mothers do for their children. Quite right, too. Being a mom requires plenty of sacrifice. Mothers also pay a price in terms of their own earnings. Here are some stylized facts about the “motherhood wage penalty”:
-It is real.
-There is no corresponding “fatherhood wage penalty.” If anything, men appear to receive an income bump in response to having a child.
-It reflects, in part, these facts: women are more likely to leave their jobs, reduce their hours, or take on more flexible or less-intensive (and thus lower paid) positions in response to having a child.
-But a large portion of the penalty is unexplained by job experience and seniority, implying employer discrimination or impacts of motherhood on productivity.
