Mothers Look for Jobs Longer After Layoffs

Published on August 17, 2012

The results suggest that the recent recession, dubbed the "man-cession" or "he-cession" because more men than women lost jobs, could also be viewed as a "mom-cession" as laid-off married moms had the hardest time finding new jobs.

"These findings hold true across different backgrounds, such as occupation, earnings, and work history," said study co-author Brian Serafini, a University of Washington sociology graduate student. "This implies that laid-off moms aren't just taking part-time jobs or seeing being laid off as a way to opt out of the workforce and embrace motherhood instead."

Serafini and co-author Michelle Maroto, who will present their findings at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, said that their study supports the notions of a "motherhood penalty" and a "daddy bonus" in the workplace.

"Our study provides evidence of labor market discrimination against women whose family decisions may signal to employers a lack of commitment to the workplace," said Maroto, formerly a University of Washington sociology graduate student and now an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Alberta.

Image: Mother and child at home, via Shutterstock

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