Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence: ana. Despite ongoing research on the association between motherhood and career outcomes, few studies specifically explore how motherhood impacts career advancement and, consequently, access to leadership.
Intersectionality is highlighted, urging a nuanced examination of challenges faced by mothers from a diversity of backgrounds. Recommendations for interventions include individual and institutional efforts, comprising societal support structures, organizational policy changes, and cultural shifts.
In the workplace, mothers face a motherhood penalty, where they are perceived as being unfit for leadership roles, are evaluated as less competent and less committed to their careers, receive lower salaries, and are denied advancement opportunities [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The experience of motherhood often comes with a lower sense of control and belonging, followed by elevated productivity demands [ 4 ].
As a consequence, mothers tend to occupy fewer leadership positions than men including fathers and childfree women. Yet, to date, there has not been, to our knowledge, a systematic examination of how motherhood impacts career progression and access to leadership.
Additionally, just describing the problem is not enough, as we also need to visualize which and how interventions can offer support to mothers through multidimensional sources.
