C onclusions

18 Conclusions

Although the motherhood penalty has been well documented, there has been little recognition of: a) the prospective motherhood penalty and b) effective strategies to navigate the prospective motherhood penalty. This study highlights that women without children face the same penalties that women with children face, based on the presumption of becoming a mother one day, and they lose out on challenging assignments, promotions and pay raises.

Our respondents suggested five strategies to deal with the prospective motherhood penalty. Women successful in their careers highlighted that proactively taking steps well ahead of motherhood, expanding their repertoire of skills, carefully considering alternative career paths, and following your passions were all critical to effectively navigating motherhood penalties. We hope the insights yielded by this study help women get ahead in their careers in the face of challenges, and will alert organisations about taking the necessary steps to reduce the prospective motherhood penalty.

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