When U.S. couples have their first child, mothers’ earnings still drop substantially relative to fathers’, and new Cornell University research demonstrates the stubborn, decades-old pattern isn’t changing despite broad increases in other aspects of gender equality.
The research indicates the relative drop in the earnings of mothers cuts across all education levels. The COVID-19 pandemic may lock the income imbalance in place as mothers who pulled back to care for children face worse hiring prospects and wage penalties as they seek to restart their work lives.
