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Overcoming the motherhood penalty
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A 2001 study by Michelle Budig and Paula England found that, "Mothers may earn less than other women because having children causes them to (1) lose job experience, (2) be less productive at work, (3) trade off higher wages for mother-friendly jobs, or (4) be discriminated against by employers" (The wage penalty for motherhood, American Sociological Review, April 2001). Six years later, this discovery was later confirmed in Getting a job: Is there a motherhood penalty?, where the authors say mothers are 79% less likely to be hired and 100% less likely to be promoted. They also found that mother are assumed to be less competent and committed than women without children (American Journal of Sociology, March 2007).
Forget the glass ceiling. Mothers are facing a maternal wall that's making it tough to advance their careers. Even though employers are increasing workplace flexibility options, using these benefits can be the "kiss of death" for a mother trying to make her way up the corporate ladder. This is especially true in workplaces where corporate policies that support mothers are not supported at the management level where often bias occurs.
Despite the odds, there are ways you can position yourself for advancement:
1. Consider job fit.
There is a dangerous seduction that can accompany your ascent on the corporate fast track. The idea of having "VP" attached to your name is luring. And surely, you'll love your job even more once you've traded that crummy cubicle for a posh corner office. Right? Not always. As you move up the corporate ladder, be sure you motivation is genuine. Otherwise, you'll find the climb to be challenging, or worse, the accomplishment of it all to be less than celebratory. Reflect on your career path: do/will you enjoy the people you work with; does/will the job give create opportunities you're interested in pursuing; does/will the job enable you to learn and grow, both professionally and personally; does/will the day-to-day work of the job fun and meaningful to you; and are/will the job be a true reflection of what you want?
2. Learn how to be politically savvy.
Women have been conditioned to "play nice" since they were young girls. But playing nice isn't what gets you ahead in the workplace. Of course, you should model cliche behavior associated with politicking like, backstabbing and lying, either. Instead, working moms must be politically savvy and that means developing alliances that get things done. It begins with a collaboration mindset: how can you help; do you understand the needs of your company and its key influencers; have you done your homework before bringing new ideas to the table? Alongside collaboration, you must have discernment and alliances. When you're neck deep in a tough project, know whether it's time to call it quits or hunker down for battle. Also work to develop alliances throughout your company, not just in one small area.
3. Find a mentor, be a mentor
Mentors help you grow and move forward, in both your career and personal life. Depending on your career and life stage, a mentor can help by giving advice, exposure, support, and perspective on a wide-range of topics including: how to get a read on key influencers in your company; options for overcoming business and management issues; and ways to juggle work and family. It's equally as important to be a mentor to other women. Not only will you learn valuable skills in leadership from the experience, but you'll also contribute to the lives of other women who need your experience and background.
Working moms can advance in their careers. It may involve additional effort to overcome some common beliefs about workings moms. But, when you learn to pursue the right job with savvy and support, the move from cubicle to corner office may be smoother than you think.
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