"The motherhood penalty -- the loss in lifetime earnings experienced by women raising children -- has become the most significant driver of the gender pay gap," the report said. Photo: JOEL SAGET / AFP/FileSource: AFPThere has been minimal global movement toward gender pay equality because many women still face a "motherhood penalty" after having children, a study said Tuesday. Progress has been "exceedingly slow" in industralized nations over the past decade, consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said in a report using latest available 2021 data. "The motherhood penalty -- the loss in lifetime earnings experienced by women raising children -- has become the most significant driver of the gender pay gap," PwC concluded in its report. "Prompted by the underemployment and slower career progression women experience on returning to work after childbirth, it is perpetuated by the unfair share of childcare women take on in almost every country around the world."

Source: Daily Nation March 07, 2023 23:25 UTC