Is Motherhood Bad for Business? An Investigation into the Benefits and Drawbacks of Family Leave Policies on Women and Businesses
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Advisor
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Haverford College. Department of Political Science
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Tri-College users only
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
Since women have entered the workforce, they have been paid less than their male counterparts. In the latter half of the 20th century, the gender wage gap improved substantially, from women earning 65 percent of men’s earnings in 1982, to women earning 80 percent of men’s earnings in 2002. However, in the last 20 years, the wage gap has only improved by two percentage points, with women earning 82 percent of men’s earnings as of 2022. Women today are certainly better off than they were in 1982, however, women continue to struggle to be treated, and paid, equally to their male counterparts. My thesis questions why the wage gap has persisted despite many laws in place to combat unequal pay on the basis of sex. One explanation for why equal pay laws have had minimal effects on the wage gap is because many women often choose to leave the workforce entirely once they become mothers. The impact of this choice on female earnings is referred to as the “motherhood penalty.” Paid family leave policies have been relatively effective in alleviating the burden of the motherhood penalty. However, very few Americans are covered by a robust paid family leave. My thesis explores the portion of the wage gap that is attributable to the lack of policies in place to alleviate the burden of choosing between work and childcare responsibilities that often falls on women. Current family leave policies in effect, including the national Family and Medical Leave Act, are not sufficient enough to keep mothers attached to the workforce once they have children. This paper explores the effectiveness of paid family leave (PFL) policies in remedying the portion of the wage gap attributable to the motherhood penalty. Because the U.S. does not have a national PFL policy, I am examining this issue through New Jersey's state policy. 13 states currently have PFL laws in place, making a mandatory PFL scarce across the U.S. Some scholars believe that the greatest opposition to PFL is from negative opinions within the business community. My thesis investigates if it is true that negative employer attitudes towards PFL stand in the way of state PFL policy implementation.Q45.