Many California working mothers continue to face discrimination on the job, and their pay, hours and promotions have been repeatedly shown to take a hit after having children.
This is true in comparison to fathers as well as people without kids. According to research conducted in 2005, women earn less money after every child, and this still appears to be the case. The issues that women face at work have continued to make headlines, as the Google walkout and resulting statement from the tech giant’s CEO about sexual harassment made clear.
The Cornell study assessed workplace discrimination against parents by sending out resumes to hundreds of employers. The content of each resume indicated whether the purported applicant was a mother, father or non-parent.
While mothers were called in for an interview only half as much as women without children, fathers were called for interviews more than non-parent men. Newer studies have attempted to assess the continuing effects of discrimination on the basis of parenthood is illegal, but it continues to happen in a number of ways.
Some women find that once their pregnancy is announced, their status at work has changed. They may find themselves excluded from projects, not being invited to seminars or conferences or no longer being considered for a promotion.
Other women face pregnancy harassment, including questions about the availability of their jobs after birth, comments about changes to their bodies or remarks about the potential for them to stay at home after giving birth.
When people face discrimination on the job due to their pregnancy, gender, race, disability, religion or other protected characteristics, they might want to meet with an employment law attorney. Counsel can help workers fight back against employment discrimination by, in some cases, filing a complain with the appropriate state or federal agency.