No surprise, the arrival of a baby reinforces gender inequalities in the professional world

Created 20 years ago, paternity leave doubled its duration on 1 July 2021, from 14 to 28 days. The target. the goal? Share the mental burden and improve gender equality. But there is still a long way to go …

After the birth of a child, many parents have to make some changes in their professional life. And it is not surprising that these changes are strongly differentiated by gender. Who drinks more? Moms go! In any case, a new INSEE study, published on 30 June 2022, demonstrates this.

INSEE notes the logic of a patriarchal functioning that does not seem about to run out … Once mothers, women reduce their working hours, change fewer jobs, and report that they do not have the time to do their job properly. On the contrary, after birth, fathers work more, later and also on Sundays. Once again, gender discrimination is at the rendezvous: wage inequality they are getting stronger and career development for women remains difficult.

51% of part-time employees are mothers

According to the study, in France, women hold 88% of part-time positions. Among them, 51% chose this operation to take care of their children, against 14% of men. It’s a fact: after childbirth, whether it’s their first child or not, women use part-time work more than men. Adjustments to working hours after childbirth are therefore essentially made by the mother.

These changes have a real impact on women’s wages: after a birth it decreases by an average of 200 euros, while for fathers it does not change at all. Please note that this is clearly explained by the reduction in working time and not by the hourly wage. But in the long run, the income gaps with men are monstrous. Many economics studies also talk about it “Maternity penalty”.

And this continues in terms of professional development: arbitration takes place within the couple in favor of fathers who continue their ascent, often to the detriment of the woman. After a birth, most mothers telework more and their chances of promotion within a company decrease. Also, as well, they lose professional mobility, which has lasting effects on their career, because these changes are often linked to higher wages and better working conditions.

For fathers: overtime and stress at work

While after giving birth, the women say they don’t have enough time to do their jobs well, while the men increase their working hours. For example, within a pair, with equivalent characteristics, fathers on average work 1.3 more overtime hours than mothers.

Also, before a baby arrives, working on Sundays or at staggered hours is more common among women than men. But all of this is reversed after birth. Of course, these decisions can result from economic arbitration within the couple. Or not.

In the end, according to INSEE, it would also be a question of “effort at work”. It is measured on the Karasek synthetic indicator and is defined as “A significant psychological request” that the worker has to face “while benefiting from a low decision-making latitude”. Before becoming parents, 32% of women report being in a situation of “effort at work” against 28% of men. After birth, this figure does not vary significantly among women, but it increases by an average of four points among men.

3 out of 10 fathers do not take paternity leave

However, there is one point that women and men agree on: if before giving birth, 56% of women and 66% of men ensure, on the day of the survey, “ wake up rested and rested “, everyone remains disillusioned after the baby arrives: positive responses for both sexes drop by 5.5 points.

However, the majority of women say they do not regret this choice and assure it “Have a daily life full of interesting things” since they became mothers, which is less true for fathers.

However, this INSEE study once again highlights our patriarchal system and its persistent, almost institutionalized inequalities in the world of work. In 2022, women still live with the mental burden of home and men fear their careers will suffer paternity leave.

Furthermore, according to data from the Céreq Employment Training Research bulletin published this year, 3 out of 10 fathers do not take paternity leave. The duration of the latter is also three times shorter among fathers with less than one year of seniority compared to those in office for 2 years or more. A situation, however, worse in the field of women, often victims of professional discrimination in childbearing age. As Michelle Obama says:

“Every mother works hard. And all women deserve to be respected. “

Featured image: © Ketut Subiyanto