Why being a parent could give your career a boost
For decades, research has highlighted the existence of a "motherhood penalty" in the workplace, where women with children are perceived as less committed and competent, often limiting their opportunities for promotions and raises. However, new research suggests this narrative may be shifting.
A recent paper published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology by Christopher D. Petsko, Rebecca Ponce de Leon, and Ashleigh Shelby Rosette challenges the prevailing view. Across four large-scale experiments involving 4,742 participants, the researchers found no evidence of a motherhood penalty in workplace evaluations. Instead, they observed what they termed a "parenthood boost": employees described as parents—regardless of gender—were evaluated more favorably than their childfree counterparts. This boost was evident in perceptions of competence, warmth, and suitability for promotion.
Key Findings:
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No Motherhood Penalty in Evaluations: Contrary to earlier studies, the researchers found that being a parent did not result in negative evaluations for women. In fact, parents were rated more positively than non-parents.
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Parenthood Boost Applies to Both Genders: The positive effect of parenthood on workplace evaluations was observed for both men and women, suggesting that the traditional gendered penalty may no longer be present in these contexts.
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Racial Differences in the Boost: While both Black and white parents received a parenthood boost, the effect was significantly larger for white parents. In some cases, Black parents saw little to no change in evaluation when parenthood was introduced, indicating a racial disparity in how parenthood is valued in workplace assessments.
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Context Matters: The study focused on single-shot evaluations (immediate impressions based on employee profiles). The authors caution that while the motherhood penalty did not appear in these experiments, it may still exist in other contexts, such as longitudinal studies tracking wages and promotions over time.
Interpretation and Implications:
The absence of a motherhood penalty in these experiments could reflect changing societal attitudes toward parenthood and gender roles, or it may indicate that previous findings were context-dependent or influenced by smaller sample sizes. However, the discovery of a parenthood boost—especially one that disproportionately benefits white employees—raises new questions about equity and bias in workplace evaluations.
As lead author Christopher Petsko notes, organizations should be aware that parenthood may now confer evaluative advantages, but these benefits are not distributed equally across racial groups. This awareness is crucial for creating truly equitable work environments.
In summary, while the motherhood penalty may be less prevalent in certain evaluative settings today, parenthood itself can trigger positive biases, though not always equally for everyone. The landscape of workplace bias appears to be evolving, warranting ongoing attention to both gender and racial dynamics in professional advancement.