The Working Mom

Moms make up a critical share of the workforce. In the US, 71.2% of mothers participated in the labor force in 2021 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). However, most of the world views women as the primary parent, meaning they are primarily responsible for caring for children. The pandemic highlighted this phenomenon, when more than two million mothers globally left the workforce to care for children as school was moved to remote (World Economic Forum). Because women are viewed as the primary caregiver, they typically take more leave than men, and are more likely to exit the labor force to care for children, leading to unequal labor market outcomes for men and women. As the labor market grows increasingly competitive, companies can no longer ignore mothers as a talent pool, and must offer parental benefits to retain this group of talent.

The State of Maternity Leave Globally

The OECD defines maternity leave as the “employment protected leave of absence for employed women directly around the time of childbirth.” The length of maternity leave varies considerably by country, but most countries offer income support during a portion of the leave (OECD). The average length of paid maternity leave globally is 29 weeks, while the average length of paid paternity leave is 16 weeks (New York Times). While virtually all wealthy nations have legislation for paid maternity leave, many middle- and low-income countries also make provisions for paid leave. For example, India passed legislation in 2017 that allots for 26 weeks of paid leave, along with other stipulations related to flexible work arrangements and childcare (Economic Times of India).

In the US, there is no right to paid maternity leave, making the US one of six countries that doesn’t have any federally protected right to paid leave. Eligible employees in the US can take up to 12 weeks of protected, unpaid maternity leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (Time). However, many states have since passed supplemental leave laws, with 11 states and Washington DC passing laws that offer some income supplement during maternity leave (Center for American Progress).

Global Perspective, Local Focus

Regional nuances and historical context shape the state of DEI around the world. In our new report, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace: Global Report 2023,” AGS DEI marketplace leaders provide analysis and offer recommendations to guide you through unique regional DEI needs while balancing alignment with global initiatives. Read report

Maternity and Parental Leave at a Glance

The US offers no paid family leave, though roughly half of private sector employees qualify for 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
In Canada, the pregnant person can take up to 15 weeks of maternity leave. There is an additional 40 weeks of parental leave that can be shared between both parents, during which a partial portion of the wage is paid.
In the UK, eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, and eligible employees can receive a portion of their income for up to 39 weeks.
In Germany, the pregnant person is entitled to six weeks of paid leave before the expected birth week and eight weeks after. Additionally, one parent can take up to a year off with 60% of their pay, while the other can take two months off.
Mothers in France receive at least 16 weeks of paid leave, though this number increases if the mother already has children or is expecting more than one child. After the 16 weeks, a parent can take up to a year of leave, and depending on income, may be eligible for social assistance.
In India, mothers are entitled to 26 weeks of paid leave. The employer is required to pay full wages, and following the 26 weeks, they might be required to provide a work-from-home option and/or nursery facility depending on the number of employees.
Australian mothers can take up to 12 months of maternity leave, 18 weeks of which are paid. Depending on an individual’s circumstances, a mother could be entitled to an additional year of maternity leave.

Sources: NY Times, Business Insider, Government of Canada, Government of the United Kingdom

In addition to state regulations, many employers now offer maternity benefits. For example, Thomas Reuters offers employees a minimum of 16 weeks of paid leave globally (HR Dive), while Spotify and Etsy offer 26 weeks of paid leave to new parents (LinkedIn). While employer-provided benefits certainly aid an organization’s workforce, the majority of the workforce doesn’t have access to paid leave, with lower-income workers being less likely to have access to paid leave. In fact, only 24% of workers in the US had access to paid leave, but in industries such as leisure and hospitality, accommodation and food service, and transportation and warehousing, 10% or less of workers had access to paid leave (CAP). Without access to paid leave, many working mothers are unable to take leave at all – 1 in 4 women in the US return to work 10 days after giving birth (World Economic Forum). In an increasingly competitive labor market, offering paid leave to new mothers can help attract and retain working mothers.

The Mom Penalty vs The Mom Reality

Childbirth is one of the most significant events in a woman’s life, yet in the professional world, working mothers are still subjected to unfounded biases that negatively impact their professional lives. These biases, known as the “motherhood penalty,” impact women in multiple ways:

Compensation: In most countries, there’s a pay gap between men and women, but the gap widens for mothers, so much so that the World Economic Forum predicts that 80% of the pay gap between men and women is due to the “mom penalty.” In the US, working mothers earn 69 cents for every dollar a man makes (SHRM). The UK demonstrates a similar phenomenon – women earn 18% less on average than men, while mothers earn 33% less on average 12 years after the birth of the first child (The Guardian).
Perceived Competence: Compared to childless women, working mothers are perceived as less competent, which in turn leads to hiring bias and more limited leadership opportunities. Studies demonstrate that mothers receive fewer call backs than childfree women, and after the birth of a first child, a mother’s chance of being a manager declined (The Globe and Mail). In India, where traditional gender roles have a strong hold, 27% of mothers advance in their careers following the birth of their child, while only 16% advance to senior leadership positions (Economic Times of India).
Maternity Leave: In most countries, qualifying working mothers have a federally protected right to some period of maternity leave, either paid or unpaid. Additionally, employers often provide moms with additional maternity-related benefits. However, women are often penalized for using these benefits. For example, in California, where mothers are allotted a period of paid leave following the birth of a child, a study conducted by UCLA economist Martha Bailey indicated that women who took leave had on average 7% lower employment and 8% lower annual earning relative to mean (Time).

Moms Add Value

While working mothers are penalized for having a child, working mothers add value to their organizations through the skills they bring to the table. A study conducted by WerkLabs, in collaboration with The Mom Project, found that mom managers are rated 18% more favorably than other managers, while female employees with colleagues or managers who are moms were more like to stay with their current employer relative to those without colleagues or managers who are moms. Working mothers offer valuable skill sets to their organizations, and efforts to retain this demographic are increasingly important in a tight labor market.

Beyond Maternity Leave: Retaining Working Moms

Mothers are a critical part of the talent pipeline, and attraction and retention of this demographic goes beyond paid maternity leave. Working moms continue to face barriers in the workplace, and organizations can offer support to mothers through various means, including offering supplemental childcare, being flexible on work arrangements and doing phased returns, and offering returnship programs to help mothers re-enter the labor force.

Childcare: This is one of the main barriers working women face. Childcare costs are prohibitive, and there are fewer childcare workers now than before the pandemic, exacerbating the issue (HR Dive). As a result, there tends to be an employment gap between men and women, illustrated by the number of women who left the workforce in the wake of the pandemic in response to school shutdowns. Subsidizing childcare helps to decrease the employment gap and allows women to return to the workforce. For example, in Quebec, which has a universal low-fee childcare program, the gender employment gap is smaller than in other provinces in Canada (The Globe and Mail). In the US, some companies have begun offering subsidized, back-up childcare (LinkedIn).
Flexible Work Arrangements: Related to childcare, offering flexible work arrangements can be useful in attracting working mothers. Hybrid and remote options are typically the first thing we associate with flexible work arrangements but offering roles that are traditionally full-time on a part-time basis can also help employers successfully recruit working mothers. For example, Zurich Insurance began advertising roles as both full-time and part-time, and found that women are more likely to apply for the roles.

Focus on Fathers: Women are still considered the primary parent in the vast majority of the world. Consequentially, mothers take more leave than fathers, which can lead to unequal labor market outcomes between men and women. However, placing more emphasis on fathers when discussing parental benefits can help close this gap. Men are often discouraged from taking paternity leave by their employers but encouraging fathers to take leave can help assuage some of the unconscious bias towards working mothers (Time).
Returning to Office: Many women report not feeling supported during their maternity leave and their transition back to work, with many mothers considering quitting during the return-to-work process (The Globe and Mail). Ensuring a smooth, supportive return to work is essential to retention. Additionally, some firms have shifted to a phased return to work, where mothers returning from maternity leave will return on a part-time basis at first but receive full-time benefits (LinkedIn). This allows new mothers to ease back into the workforce while balancing professional and familial responsibilities. However, offering these benefits alone are not enough, women must not be penalized for using them (Forbes). For women who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time, returnships present opportunities to reskill or upskill as well as re-enter the workforce gradually. Returnships have grown in popularity in India, and they help women learn new skills and settle into the workplace, with the potential of a full-time job at the end of the program (Economic Times of India).

As the labor market grows increasingly competitive, organizations must focus their recruiting efforts on working mothers. Moms in the workplace face multiple biases that can encourage them to leave the workforce, but expanding parental benefits to include paid leave, childcare, and upskilling and reskilling opportunities can help retain working moms. Equally important is creating a company culture of inclusivity, where moms are not penalized for taking advantage of the benefits provided by the government or their employer. Ultimately, moms bring valuable skills to the table and employers who engage with this talent pool will be more successful in the long run.