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Cambridge Journal of Economics 23:543-564 (1999)
Copyright © 1999 Cambridge Political Economy Society
Article |
The wages of motherhood: better or worse?
z Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL, UK
E-mail: hj@cls.ioe.ac.uk
1 Institute of Education, London City University, London, UK
2 Columbia University, NY, USA
Corresponding author/address
Abstract
Data from two British cohort studies show that women with children have lower wages than childless women. We develop an innovative decomposition of this 'family gap'. The crude pay gap between mothers and childless women in their thirties was similar in 1978 and 1991, but low pay in part-time work became more important in explaining this gap, and human capital less so. We find that, among full-time employees, women who broke their employment at childbirth were subsequently paid less than childless women. In contrast, mothers who maintained employment continuity were as well paid as childless women, but neither were as well remunerated as men.
Key Words: Wages • mothers • human capital • part-time jobs
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