Career discrimination on the basis of gender has been illegal for decades. These days, we see women entering previously male (and highly paid) professions in droves. But
average wages are still stubbornly different. Why?
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Oddly enough, a concession introduced in some countries precisely so that women can pursue a career may also be one reason why women are paid less.
Maternity Leave Career Theory
Employer sanctified maternity leave allows women to take time out and then return to their previous job. In theory, this gives women the best of both worlds. A new Mom can take from six months to a year satisfying the (very real) need to bond with her new baby. After that she can return to her job to (continue to) satisfy her career ambitions. In Europe a long maternity leave is the norm. It's possible to become a "maman" or a "mum" and pursue a career. Women are not forced to quit their jobs to have children thus putting themselves at a disadvantage when trying to re-enter the workforce later. Seems ideal. Or does it?
Maternity Leave Career Practice
Unfortunately things don’t seem to work out quite like that. Newsweek International reports that the percentage of top jobs held by women in the USA is about 45%, while in Britain the percentage is 33%. How is this possible when Europe, unlike the States, has those apparently career-friendly maternity arrangements? Newsweek comments that Europe is "killing its women with kindness". Many women who take advantage of the long maternity leave (and other maternity benefits) never really start climbing the career ladder again. Perhaps it's common sense that men and women with the same job title are paid differently simply because the man hasn't taken time out and is, therefore, more experienced.
Maternity Leave Career Conundrum
It could be that, whatever the law says, women really have to choose between children and a career. Perhaps taking a year (or several years, for several children) out of the workforce, however good the maternity benefits, means that top-paying positions are out of reach. Is that unreasonable? Probably, not. Would any sensible employer promote a man into a top management position, and/or give him large pay raises, if that man took random years out of his career? Of course not. So why should women have their cake and eat it, too?
It is possible for women to have children and and a successful career, but no one says it's easy. Unless Moms are able and willing to cut the maternity leave, or work and be a mother at the same time, they might just have to be satisfied with a smaller piece of the pie.
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