Boston Area News

BOSTON (WBZ) ― You can get penalized at work for being late, or missing a deadline. But how about just for being a mom? Research shows that's happening and the impact is often financial.

Judy Wayne is a successful lawyer on the North Shore. She's also a happy mother. She's never had trouble juggling her two roles, but it has been a problem at times during her career.

Once when she was up for a promotion after the birth of her daughter, she said "The powers that be, who had been there for many years, did not think that a new mom could handle the job as well . . . it was terribly disappointing, patently unfair."

Apparently that is pretty common for working moms, who are often viewed as second class citizens according to a study called "Getting a Job: Is there a Motherhood Penalty?"

For example, it found working mothers are paid 5% less, per child, than a childless woman.

"Sadly, it doesn't surprise me at all," said Wayne. "I think that moms are perceived differently than working women, despite the fact that moms are working women."

A recent ruling handed down the First Circuit of Appeals in Boston, could have an impact on the way working mothers are treated. The case involves a mother from Maine who says she was denied a promotion and told "You have the kids, and you just have enough on your plate right now."

The ruling stated:  ". . . the assumption that a woman will do her job less well due to her personal family obligations is a form of sex stereotyping . . . and that adverse job actions on that basis constitute sex discrimination."

Elaine Varelas, a career consultant at Keystone Partners in Boston, says the real problem for many women is discrimination happens before they even get a job.

"The research shows that while they are being evaluated as a candidate, you can be overlooked or screened out."

The researchers who wrote "Getting a Job" sent out resumes from equally qualified candidates, but included words on some that suggest motherhood. They found that the childless women were called more than twice as often as those perceived to be mothers.

Varelas says that is against the law, but the tight job market is making the situation even worse for mothers. She said, "The job search process right now is so competitive that anyone who gets hired really has to limit any liability they might have."

Unfortunately, that could be your child. That's why Varelas says job applicants need to keep things low key. She says that a resume is not the place to showcase that you have a big family.

Mothers who have jobs also need to be careful of the message they send.

Varelas says it's OK to keep a few personal photos and pieces of your child's artwork at your desk, but not to over do it. She explained, your office or desk "doesn't need to be showcasing you as a mom. It needs to showcase you as a professional."

Regardless of whether a young woman is applying for a job or considering whether to stay at a company, Varelas suggests taking a look at the senior managers of that company to see how many mothers are in those positions. It could give an indication of that company's culture.

Here's one piece of irony to consider. Research has shown that employers actually prefer fathers to childless men. Unlike working mothers, they are perceived to be more stable.

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