The Motherhood Penalty: The Equality Challenge We Must Address – MMM @ ILC114

Across the world, women continue to carry a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic and care work, an invisible labour that supports families, communities and economies. Yet the unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities remains one of the key drivers of persistent gender inequalities.

While women’s participation in the labour market has increased significantly, the expected transformation in the sharing of care responsibilities has not happened at the same pace. Mothers, in particular, often find themselves navigating the difficult balance between professional expectations and caregiving responsibilities, shaped by long-standing social norms about who should provide care.

Beyond the pay gap: understanding the motherhood penalty

Commenting on the report prepared by ILO for the General Discussionon a Transformative agenda for gender equality at work (item 6 of the ILC114 agenda), MMM stressed that the challenges faced by mothers cannot be reduced to differences in pay alone.

The motherhood pay gap is only one part of a much broader reality: the motherhood penalty.

The motherhood penalty describes the cumulative impact motherhood can have on women’s careers, economic security and well-being. It includes discrimination in recruitment and promotion, pregnancy- and maternity-related harassment, interrupted career paths, assumptions that mothers are less committed or less capable in the workplace, and limited access to leadership opportunities.

These barriers are often reinforced by workplace structures that do not sufficiently accommodate caregiving responsibilities. Limited access to childcare, inflexible working arrangements and expectations that employees prioritise work above family life can push mothers into difficult choices — including reducing working hours or stepping away from employment altogether.

The human impact behind the statistics

Evidence from MMM’s 2024 State of Motherhood in Europe report highlights the scale of the challenge. Among surveyed mothers, many reported changes in employment after having children, including reduced working hours and negative impacts on career progression. The same research pointed to significant mental health pressures, with many mothers reporting feelings of overload, anxiety, burnout or related difficulties.

Building workplaces where families can thrive

Maternity protection, parental leave and childcare policies remain essential foundations for supporting mothers and families.

However, a truly transformative agenda requires acknowledging and addressing the motherhood penalty in all its dimensions.

This entails: recognising that motherhood is a specific ground of discrimination that comes on top of other intersecting grounds of discrimination, collecting better data to understand the scale of the problem, challenging gender stereotypes, and encouraging men’s equal participation in caregiving.

Workplaces also have a crucial role to play. Family-friendly policies, flexible working arrangements, supportive returns after parental leave, and opportunities such as quality part-time work or job-sharing can help ensure that caregiving responsibilities do not become a barrier to women’s professional lives.

Importantly, parenting itself should be recognised as a source of valuable skills. Caregiving develops transferable professional competencies, such as leadership, organisation, resilience and problem-solving.

It is time for the world of work to adapt to the realities of care

For decades, women have adapted to the demands of the workplace while carrying much of the responsibility for family care. The next step towards true equality is for workplaces, policies and societies to adapt to the lived realities of motherhood and others caregiving realities.

Supporting mothers and families is not only a matter of fairness – it is a collective responsibility. By addressing the motherhood penalty, empowering all parents as caregivers and creating workplaces designed for real human lives, we can move closer to a future where gender equality is not just a goal, but a reality.

Read here the full Statement that MMM delivered in plenary. A more concise version of this statement was also delivered during the first meeting of the General Discussion Committee on a Tranformative agenda for fender equality at work. 

Our impact

Our message was heard, albeit partially. The Committee’s resolution, which was adopted at the end of the ILC, includes a number of the points we made.

It notably states: “Measures that strengthen maternity protection, parental and care leave policies, as part of integrated care and work-life balance policies that support workers with care responsibilities, facilitate women’s entry, retention and advancement in the labour market, promote a more equal sharing of care responsibilities, and help prevent poverty and discrimination related to pregnancy, maternity, parenthood, and care responsibilities.”

In spite of all the evidence, it fails however to explicitely recognise the motherhood penalty.