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The “mommy track” in the workplace. Evidence from a large French firm

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  • Lucifora, Claudio
  • Meurs, Dominique
  • Villar, Elena

Abstract

We study the earnings and career profiles of employees who experience the birth of the first child, as compared to their childless co-workers. Using a difference-in-differences approach and a unique 12-year panel of personnel records from a large French company, we find that the arrival of a child creates a persistent penalty in earnings for mothers. The gap in internal promotions, both at the extensive and intensive margin, accounts for the vast majority of the motherhood penalty within the firm. We believe that firm-level policies on child-related leaves, if not gender-neutral, can exacerbate the motherhood penalty.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucifora, Claudio & Meurs, Dominique & Villar, Elena, 2021. "The “mommy track” in the workplace. Evidence from a large French firm," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:72:y:2021:i:c:s0927537121000701
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102035
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    1. repec:hal:journl:hal-04792769 is not listed on IDEAS
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    3. Estefanía Galván & Cecilia García-Peñalosa, 2021. "Interactions amongst gender norms: Evidence from US couples," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 21-15, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    4. Frech, Maria & Maideu-Morera, Gerard, 2024. "The Hidden Demand for Flexibility: a Theory for Gendered Employment Dynamics," TSE Working Papers 24-1588, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Motherhood pay gap; Personnel data; Promotion gap; Diff-in-Diff;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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