The motherhood penalties: insights from women in UK academia

Di Leo, R, Epifanio, M ORCID: 0000-0003-1772-5043, Scotto, TJ and Troeger, VE (2026) The motherhood penalties: insights from women in UK academia Community Work and Family, ahead- (ahead-). pp. 1-23. ISSN 1366-8803, 1469-3615

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Abstract

The motherhood penalty is often understood as a salary differential between mothers and non-mothers. We use an original survey of academic women in the UK to understand whether the motherhood penalty extends to other dimensions of a woman's career and experience in the workplace. We explore these penalties via an original survey of academic women in the UK. Becoming a mother, we show, has no effect on salary, but slows down career progression. Mothers report higher levels of job satisfaction yet indicate heightened perceptions of gendered salary unfairness. We then explore several factors potentially mitigating the motherhood penalties. On the formal side, more generous maternity provisions are associated with higher salaries, and longer childcare hours facilitate career progression. On the informal side, a sympathetic Head of Department boosts job satisfaction. At home, having a supportive partner plays a key role in mothers' professional success. Our paper highlights the varied penalties mothers encounter even in a highly skilled profession, and the necessity of a multi-faceted policy response.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	4405 Gender Studies, 44 Human Society, Women's Health
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures > Politics Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > Faculty of Humanities & Social Sci (All T&R Staff) Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures > School of Histories, Languages and Cultures (T&R Staff)
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2026 17:09
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2026 13:01
DOI:	10.1080/13668803.2026.2618679
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2026.2618679
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3196963
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