Moms’ Equal Pay Day—taking place on August 7 this year—is a day to draw attention to the longstanding wage gap mothers in the workforce endure. IWPR’s latest fact sheet finds that mothers earn less than fathers in every single state. Nationally, employed mothers were paid just 62.5 cents per dollar paid to fathers in 2022. Mothers who worked full-time year-round were paid 71.4 cents per dollar compared to fathers. 

There are several intersectional challenges that contribute to the wage gap between moms and dads, including a motherhood penalty, working in low-wage and undervalued jobs, lack of affordable child care, and lack of access to benefits such as paid leave. These challenges can set women back in the workforce and even cause them to drop out of employment altogether. 

Working moms face a motherhood penalty, meaning that among two equivalent female workers with similar education levels and occupations, women with children earn less than women without children. Research shows that the motherhood penalty is responsible for nearly 80 percent of the gender pay gap, and the pay gap widens as women age and are more likely to have children. Each child under five years old is projected to reduce the earnings of a typical mother by 15 percent. Women facing the motherhood penalty are also met with challenges in the workforce, such as being less likely to be hired and/or promoted compared to those without children. 

Compared to fathers, mothers are more likely to work in low-wage and undervalued jobs. These lines of work, such as service sector jobs or care work, typically pay much less than jobs in male-dominated fields, such as finance or engineering. Service sector jobs are also notorious for having unpredictable schedules and lacking benefits, making it more difficult for mothers to secure quality child care for their children. 

Due to the high cost of child care in the United States, it is not uncommon for women to either cut back on their working hours or stop working altogether once they become mothers. Child care deserts, or areas that have too few child care spaces compared to the number of children that need care, have made it difficult for many parents to obtain a spot in child care programs altogether. Often, the expense of child care does not offset mothers’ wages, which can cause them to exit the workforce overall.  

Paid parental leave and flexible work hours are vital for working moms, yet many employers still do not offer these benefits, especially for part-time employees. Given that women still do the bulk of unpaid housework and take on more caregiving responsibilities than men, mothers are more likely than fathers to work part-time. Part-time employees are less eligible for these benefits, which makes taking care of a child even more difficult, especially for single mothers. 

In order to fight the wage gap between mothers and fathers, it is essential for policymakers to support investments in quality child care, improved workplace protections and benefits, paid maternity and family and medical leave, and better access to maternity care. These policies are important not only for the moms working now but also for the children of future generations who will become mothers one day.