While many factors contribute to the gender pay gap, as noted in a report in the current issue of The Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, the “mommy tax” is certainly one that can be addressed.
For several reasons, maternity leave increases the gender pay gap.
A Pew Research Center article from 2013 argues that there is even a link between paid parental leave and the gender pay gap. According to the article, while the U.S. “has the least liberal government policies regarding paid parental leave … it also turns out that some countries that offer more liberal parental leave policies have higher pay gaps among men and women ages 30 to 34.”
The article on the study goes on to note that the main reason for this result is likely because more women end up taking leave to either recover from childbirth and/or care for young children.
As a result, employers are less likely to promote a woman who has, or is planning to have, children. In addition, women are more likely to search out careers that provide greater flexibility rather than men because current policies and societal norms support men being the breadwinner.
The change begins with a social change that is already underway — viewing men as caregivers the same way women are viewed as caregivers, whether it be for a child or a parent.
The state of New York recently passed a family leave plan that will eventually provide 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new baby or to attend to a family emergency, such as an ailing parent or sick child. Current federal law guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave and job protection for such needs. Some workers receive pay during these times through short-term disability.
The New York family leave is available to men and women. This could be the difference between the policy helping or hurting the gender pay gap.
A mother’s future earnings increased 7 percent for every month that her partner took parental leave, according to a 2010 study by the Swedish Institute of Labor Market Policy, as reported by Fast Company. By offering more equal paternity leave policies, some Scandinavian countries have a smaller gender pay gap.
Norway, for example, provides a shared parental leave for birth or adoption. That being said, the country provides a certain number of weeks for a mother giving birth to prepare and recover from the actual birth. The majority of the weeks, however, are split between the mother and father.
With this policy in place, Norway ranks as the third best country for gender pay equality, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2014. Iceland and Finland top the index of 142 countries. The United States is ranked 20th, behind Canada, but above Ecuador.
Social policies are not always the answer, but changing attitudes about who can be qualified caregivers and the need for family leave for certain life events and emergencies is one step in narrowing gender wage gaps.