Working dads reap the rewards of parenting with a ‘wage bonus’ while working mums are penalised

Working fathers reap the rewards of parenting with a ‘wage bonus’ of up to 21%, according to research carried out by the TUC.

It reveals that dads get paid more because they tend to work longer hours than colleagues who don’t have children, and are considered to be more reliable and to put in greater effort. Their CVs are also rated more highly.

“This is fantastic news for dads,” said Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party (WE) and its London Mayoral candidate. “WE think all parents should be considered valuable employees and rewarded for their dual commitment to family and work life.”

She added: “Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for working mums. The TUC report also showed that working women with children suffer an 11% ‘wage penalty’ compared to their colleagues who don’t have children.”

“WE know women are reporting rising levels of stress while being forced into lower paid, part time work because of a lack of flexible working options, and that three quarters of pregnant women and new mothers are discriminated against, with one in nine losing their job as a result.”

Walker is clear that structural inequalities underlie the different experiences of parents in the workplace.

“It seems we’re unable to get out of the male breadwinner model, where we expect men to be the earners and women to be the carers. Employers look at fathers as stable employees but penalise mothers, irrespective of their performance.

“The Women’s Equality Party was founded to change this. WE are working towards a system of shared parental leave guaranteeing both parents six weeks away from work on 90% of pay, with an additional 10 months of leave at statutory pay to be shared between them.

 “It is only by creating a truly equal system of parental leave that employers will treat mums and dads the same. And only then will women have real options at work, and men real opportunities to be at home.”

Published April 27, 2016