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Study Shows That The Wage Gap Has Narrowed Over The Years, But Remains High And Intensifies When Women Become Mothers
Despite gradual advancements in recent decades, the wage gap between men and women continues to be a persistent reality in the labor market. Recent data and expert analyses indicate that while inequality has decreased compared to previous years, it remains significant. More than that, research points to a specific moment as decisive for the deepening of this disparity: motherhood.
According to empirical studies conducted by economists and research institutions, wage inequality does not arise randomly throughout a woman’s career. On the contrary, it intensifies precisely during the period when women have children. Up to that point, men and women show relatively similar professional trajectories across various sectors. However, after motherhood, a clear rupture occurs that impacts salaries, career progression, and participation in the labor market.
This phenomenon, known internationally as motherhood penalty, helps explain why, even with higher average education, women still earn less than men in equivalent positions.
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Motherhood, Unpaid Work, and The Cultural Weight of Inequality
The information was disclosed by analyses discussed in specialized reports and by economists studying female participation in the labor market, including Cecília Machado, chief economist at Bocom BBM and a recognized researcher in the field. According to her, all major empirical studies conducted point out that the most striking point of wage inequality is the birth of children.
This happens because, culturally and socially, the majority of responsibilities that arise after motherhood still fall on women. Care for children, organization of domestic routines, attention to health and education are still viewed as predominantly female responsibilities. As a consequence, many women reduce their working hours, accept lower-paid positions, or face interruptions in their careers.
Furthermore, several studies show that the unpaid work performed by women at home has a gigantic economic impact. Research from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) estimates that if this domestic work were properly compensated, it could represent about R$ 95 billion additional to the Brazilian economy. This data highlights how wage inequality is not limited to the corporate environment but is deeply linked to social organization.
Therefore, the company is often not the source of discrimination, but rather an extension of an inequality that is already rooted in culture. The difference begins even before the woman leaves home to work.
Law, Punishment for Companies, and The Need for Profound Social Change
In recent years, Brazil has made progress with legislations aimed at wage transparency and pay equity between men and women. These laws play an important role in highlighting the differences, creating oversight mechanisms, and allowing fines to be imposed on companies that discriminate.
However, experts warn that isolated punishment of companies is not sufficient to solve the problem. As the scholars on the subject point out, it involves a much deeper cultural change, which includes balanced sharing of family responsibilities, public policies supporting parenthood, and a transformation in how society views the role of women.
Wage inequality, in this context, is not just an economic issue, but also a social one. It reflects historical expectations, cultural standards, and a structure that still penalizes women for having children—something biologically exclusive but socially poorly distributed in terms of responsibilities.
Therefore, the discussion goes beyond laws and numbers. It involves education, awareness, and collective actions that allow women to compete on equal terms in the labor market, without motherhood being a permanent obstacle to their income and careers.
What Needs to Change So That Women Do Not Have Their Career and Salary Defined by the Moment They Become Mothers?
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