Motherhood derails women's academic careers - these data reveal how and why

"The latest study published in March by the Centre for Economic Performance indicates that although the career trajectories of men and women are similar before becoming parents, their paths diverge starkly after the birth of their first child."

"Researchers have long documented the effects of parenthood on academic careers, particularly for women, noting that many studies have reported that women in science face 'motherhood penalties', such as lower wages and fewer promotions than men."

"Cairo and her colleagues gathered information from 13,347 parents who had been enrolled in a PhD programme at a Danish university between 1996 and 2017 and had their first child sometime after the first year of their doctoral studies."

"Behaviors change much more slowly than attitudes, indicating that despite societal shifts towards shared caregiving, the practical implications for women's careers remain significant."

A study in Denmark reveals that parenthood significantly hinders women's academic careers compared to men's, primarily due to women's disproportionate childcare responsibilities. Despite efforts to promote shared parental leave, societal behaviors lag behind changing attitudes. The research analyzed data from over 13,000 PhD parents, showing that while men and women have similar career trajectories before parenthood, their paths diverge sharply after the birth of their first child, leading to lower publication rates and reduced job opportunities for women.

Read at Nature