Working moms: Motherhood penalty or motherhood return?

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2019Source: The Journal of Academic LibrarianshipAuthor(s): Heather Kelley, Quinn Galbraith, Jessica StrongAbstractAmong many professions, the gender wage gap is a very real and pertinent concern. Research has shown that this gap can be explained in part by the motherhood penalty, which consists of costs associated with the demands of motherhood in professional life. Using a sample of 808 female professional academic librarians, we investigated the motherhood penalty by examining differences between mothers (n = 343) and non-mothers (n = 465). Within this sample, we found that there were no penalties for mothers compared to non-mothers in regard to salary, position, and perceived well-being. Implications and avenues for future research are offered.
Source: The Journal of Academic Librarianship - Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: research