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The Motherhood Penalty and Fatherhood Premium

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State

The motherhood penalty is a hiring and pay disadvantage attached to mothers specifically; the fatherhood premium is the reverse advantage attached to fathers, and studies find both.

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An identical résumé recommended for a lower starting salary once it signals motherhood illustrates the penalty directly.

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The asymmetry is about parental status interacting with gender, not about mothers or fathers as individuals.