Name: Tess
Home: St. Louis
Motherhood Penalty
Even though there's been a lull in blogging, I am still here. This week, I have been completely absorbed in finding a paper topic for my class. Over the course of the semester, we have to do a photo essay, research paper, and presentation on a "disparity and social and economic justice." At first I thought I might focus on education, but then I received an email from MomsRising reminding me about discrimination against mothers in the workforce.
I first read about the landmark study they cited last spring. Cornell researchers had participants rate pairs of resumes and make hiring and salary recommendations. The resumes were designed to be equal--except for one little line noting activity in a PTA, which was added to one and not the other. According to a press release,
Crazy. Based on just one line of a resume, people made all kinds of assumptions about what kind of worker a person would be. In a separate part of the study, "Over an 18-month period, the researchers also submitted 1,276 resumes and cover letters for entry- and mid-level marketing and business job openings to 638 real employers. Childless women received more than twice as many callbacks as equally qualified mothers."
So right now, I'm digging. Yesterday I made up a survey, and so far I've gotten responses from 10 working mothers I know. (If you're a mother in the workforce and would like to respond, email me at my archwords address above.) I am thinking through where our perceptions of mothers come from, and how stereotypes might be changed. I'll probably be blogging through my thoughts in the coming weeks.
And what's really crazy is that my photo essay isn't due until October 22, and the paper isn't due December 3. I never worked this far ahead as an undergraduate, but I'm having trouble turning off my brain. I wish I knew more about research so I could do a more thorough job--but I guess that's why I need to go to grad school. I'm also aware that this topic is broad and way beyond the scope of a 20-page undergraduate paper. Maybe I'll just have to write a book.
I first read about the landmark study they cited last spring. Cornell researchers had participants rate pairs of resumes and make hiring and salary recommendations. The resumes were designed to be equal--except for one little line noting activity in a PTA, which was added to one and not the other. According to a press release,
The evaluation showed significant and substantial penalties for motherhood among both white and African-American women, among them:
- Participants recommended 84% of female nonmothers for hire, compared to only 47% of mothers.
- The recommended starting salary for mothers was $11,000 less than that offered nonmothers.
- Mothers were rated as less promotable and less committed.
- Fathers were offered the highest starting salaries.
Crazy. Based on just one line of a resume, people made all kinds of assumptions about what kind of worker a person would be. In a separate part of the study, "Over an 18-month period, the researchers also submitted 1,276 resumes and cover letters for entry- and mid-level marketing and business job openings to 638 real employers. Childless women received more than twice as many callbacks as equally qualified mothers."
So right now, I'm digging. Yesterday I made up a survey, and so far I've gotten responses from 10 working mothers I know. (If you're a mother in the workforce and would like to respond, email me at my archwords address above.) I am thinking through where our perceptions of mothers come from, and how stereotypes might be changed. I'll probably be blogging through my thoughts in the coming weeks.
And what's really crazy is that my photo essay isn't due until October 22, and the paper isn't due December 3. I never worked this far ahead as an undergraduate, but I'm having trouble turning off my brain. I wish I knew more about research so I could do a more thorough job--but I guess that's why I need to go to grad school. I'm also aware that this topic is broad and way beyond the scope of a 20-page undergraduate paper. Maybe I'll just have to write a book.
posted by Tess | 5:45 PM
1 Comments:
Very thought provoking.. I'm a working mom.. My husband is currently staying at home with our son, making me the default sole breadwinner. While recruiting for a new position last year, I let my recruiter know he was free to quietly share these circumstances with my potential employer as a way to prove my committment to working & advancement. It would have never been a question if a male were interviewing.
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