Date of Award:

5-2014

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Sociology and Anthropology

Department name when degree awarded

Sociology

Committee Chair(s)

Christy Glass

Committee

Christy Glass

Committee

Amy K. Bailey

Committee

Douglas Jackson-Smith

Committee

Erin Hofmann

Committee

Alison Cook

Abstract

While gender inequity in wages is often discussed in the media by politicians, the motherhood wage penalty receives substantially less attention. This distinct wage penalty suggests that women with children suffer a wage penalty separate from women without children. In addition, there is an employment gap between mothers and nonmothers indicating that mothers are less likely to be employed. While some argue that this is a matter of choice, I contend that mothers may face unique barriers that deny them access to the labor market. I tested this theory in two ways and in two states; Utah and California. First, I sent two applications to 480 companies; both applicants were women but one indicated that she was a mother. I then kept track of which applicants received follow-up emails or phone calls. If employers were biased and discriminated against mothers, I would expect that the “mother” candidate would receive fewer follow-up contacts. The second way I investigated this issue was by directly speaking with hiring managers at 27 of the companies that I applied to. I asked them questions regarding their ideal worker, gender preferences, and the relevance of family responsibilities in their hiring decisions. This research was funded by a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant.

Findings from both studies indicate that employers’ assumptions about mothers create a bias against them when they are being considered for employment. This project has significant societal benefits as it indicates that both the motherhood wage penalty and employment gap are not simply products of mothers choosing to opt out of the labor market. In addition, it suggests that cultural assumptions about motherhood may adversely affect women without children as they are perceived of being “at risk” of becoming mothers in the future. These penalties may also expand beyond the hiring and wage setting stages to performance and promotion issues.

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