Behind the maternal wall: The hidden backlash toward childfree working women

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2020 papers

Abstract

The number of women who remain childfree is on the rise, as documented by demographic statistics. Yet, because research on women in the workplace has so far been focused on documenting the motherhood penalty in the workplace, childfree women have remained almost invisible. Relying on empirical data and theoretical arguments, the present paper gathers evidence that deviating from the motherhood mandate may have negative consequences for women's work–life. An integrative framework is offered which posits that childfree women's characteristics and features of the workplace interact in a unique and potentially underestimated way to impact childfree women's quality of work–life. Childfree women's characteristics include age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and social class. Features of the workplace pertain to the culture of the organization and job characteristics. Quality of work–life encompasses career outcomes (i.e., pay and position, hiring and evaluation) and working conditions (i.e., work–life balance, workplace incivility). Drawing on the proposed framework, I suggest several research avenues and consider the challenges of exploring the issue of childfree women's work–life within interdisciplinary research teams, and from an intersectional perspective.

Related Papers

• → The relationship between anti-gay prejudice and the categorization of sexual orientation(2015)36 cited
• → "Economic Perspective on ADA Backlash: Comments from the BJELL Symposium on the Americans with Disabilities Act, An"(2000)3 cited
• Susquehanna Chorale Spring Concert "Roots and Wings"(2017)
• → DETERMINING QUALITY REQUIREMENTS AT THE UNIVERSITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION(2018)
• → Moving Forward in the Face of Backlash: Equal Rights Regardless of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity(2020)