2024-09-17 23:30:19
Argentina is among the 10 countries in the world that most penalize motherhood in the labor market, according to the Child Penalty Atlas. This means that, after the arrival of the first child, labor participation of women decreases by 44%, while that of men barely varies between 0% and 1%. This phenomenon generates a profound inequality in the professional development of the genders.
The analysis included data from 134 countries, representing more than 95% of the world’s population. The countries where being a mother and working is most complex are: Jordan, with a 64% penalty, followed by Bangladesh (62%), Georgia (53%), Czech Republic (50%), South Korea (49%), Costa Rica (48%), Algeria (47%), Malaysia (45%) and Estonia (45%). Next comes Argentina, with 44%.
The child penalty measures the impact of the birth of a child on women’s working life over the next ten years. The main problem is that many women, after becoming mothers, give up or reduce their work activity to take on more caregiving duties. In contrast, men’s careers tend to remain stable and on the rise.
According to a joint study by the London School of Economics (LSE) and Princeton University, while 95% of men aged 25 to 54 are part of the global workforce, female participation in that age range is only 52%. Motherhood plays a crucial role in this gap.
According to the report, 24% of women stop working in the first year after the birth of their first child and, a decade later, 15% have still not returned to work.
The study also highlights that in the most developed countries, such as those in Western Europe and North America, 80% of the gender gap in labor force participation is due to motherhood. In Latin America, 38% of working women leave the labor market after the birth of their first child, and a decade later, 37% are still out.
This situation not only affects women’s current employment, but also limits their income and opportunities for advancement throughout their lives. Although in low-income countries marriage has a greater impact than motherhood on women’s labor force participation, in middle-income economies, such as Argentina, childbirth is the main factor explaining the development gap between men and women.
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