Presented by Sabine Irbe
Author: Sabine Irbe, Coralie Wirtz, Kai Storm
Abstract
Research on child penalty shows that gender pay gap and mothers’ labour market participation are intricately intertwined. Thus, to explain pay gap better, we need to understand mothers’ participation in the labour market. To do this, this paper distinguishes between gender and motherhood norms when analysing mothers’ labour market participation. We argue that distinguishing between gender and motherhood norms is critical because both impact how far mothers may be able and willing to spend time apart from their children. This affects not just what kind of working arrangements mothers opt into, but also the pay they can expect. We analyse mothers’ employment rates in 127 countries in relation to factors such as unpaid care work, fertility, suffrage or ministerial positions. First, we find that, worldwide, there is a clear difference between how women (without children) and mothers participate in the labour market – and that this difference can meaningfully explain gender inequalities in terms of unequal pay. Secondly, our findings clearly indicate that improved gender equality for women in general does not automatically lead to better outcomes for mothers. Third, our analysis revealed that women’s political agency accumulates and might have a greater impact if other burdens, such as childcare, decrease.