The Working Mom Salary Gap

Just wait till you hit the other end and move home as a single parent of two to take care of your aging parents. Try for years to get a job and be lucky to find one after 12 years of applying that barely pays minimum wage. I think the gap is wider than predicted. You can only make things happen for yourself, unless you are the one in charge!

Ooops!!! $335,000 for me. I goofed.
Tianca

Do you really want to be a working mom??? I mean, really. Isn't being a mom a full time job plus??? I've raised four kids already, and have started on my second family now, adding three more and working on twins now. Luckily this time around is going to be a lot easier, because I'll have the father living with me and helping me this time around. But the biggest difference is that I have more than enough money to get it done right this time!!! You women in here need to learn about the words; Let your money work for you, not you working for your money!!! In a word, learn how to invest!!! I mean it.

My mom died and left me a trust, she invested $335 for me, and I now get an income from the investment that is helping take care of me now!!! I get $1,300 a month, and it is set up to grow every year. I can't take any money out of it, and it grows on its own. I get a check once a month, and that is what I live on. It doesn't sound like much, true. I don't have to work! Tianca

Most people don't work for corporations. I think the only way to effectively address the need to get women with children back into the workforce, or maintain the connection when children arrive, is a national paid parental leave policy and paid sick days both for when you or your children are sick. We can't go on as if working and childrearing are done by two entirely unrelated groups of people. Part time work could also be improved, with truly proportionate wages, and access to an employer's group health and pension plan. There is a lot we could do, if we got organized.

I think corporations are going to need women more, as baby-boomers retire and the work force shrinks. The smart companies will figure out ways to employ smart, capable women part-time or with flexible schedules while women are raising children. Based on my circle, I think a lot of stay-at-home moms would love to work if they could do it part-time or with flexibility. If Corporate America can figure this out, it will help women stay connected during their baby years. I also think women can be proactive about staying engaged in the working world, by doing some freelance work or keeping up with former colleagues. That will make them more marketable and networked when they decide to go back to work. The bottom line is these women have a lot to offer (after raising kids, they can handle pressure better than a CEO in my opinion) and it will benefit everyone if we start to appreciate them.

I think corporations need to consider the idea of part time work for women. It's one way to stay in the game but also be able to spend quality time with their kids. Too many industries still don't make this a possibility for women.

I think all parties have to work together on this. Any one of them working alone will not accomplish anything. Except for corporations, and they'll never do anything on their own, because their bottom line is money, and if they can pay people less for any reason, they'll do so.