Motherhood bias, fatherhood bonus

MICHAELA remembers the conversation like it happened yesterday, even though the events which saw her less qualified colleague being promoted over her occurred more than a year ago. And even though she threatened to file suit against the company, the only resolution at the end of what she described as “a most bitter period in my life”, was that she was reassigned to another department, in a trumped-up role, while her nemesis got the job she was in line for.

“I was pregnant at the time, and the board members, one by one, asked whether I “could manage”, even when I pointed out that it was inappropriate for them to ask,” she said. “It didn’t matter that I was married, that my mother lived with us and helped with child care, and that I also had a live-in nanny, all they saw was a pregnant woman, a hindrance, and someone who wouldn’t be able to perform her tasks well.”

On the other hand, she said, her replacement had none of her qualifications, but was seen as “trainable”, and so got the job she had been working towards her entire career.

Likewise, Toni-Ann’s company was in search of a senior manger after the last one retired, and there were several people in line to be appointed. At the end, she was told that her living situation wasn’t stable enough, and that another candidate, a man with a family, had “more of the look” that the shareholders would go for, and would acclimatise better in society than a single woman would.

“It burned, because they were basically saying that he was superior because he was a Christian, stable husband and father, while I didn’t have that stable family structure,” she said.

It’s said that one of the worst career moves a woman can make is to have children; yet fathers are more likely to be hired than men without children. This may not show up in statistics (Jamaica is the country where you’re most likely to have a female boss, according to the International Labor Organization, as just under 60 per cent of the country’s management force is female), but in the workplace, the women are telling a different story. As while women are entering the formal job market at nearly twice the pace of men, in 2021, Jamaica scored 0.77 in the gender gap area of economic participation and opportunity, which means that women are 23 per cent less likely to have equal economic participation and opportunities than men.

Last year, Jamaica scored 0.63 in estimated earned income, showing a gender pay gap of approximately 37 per cent – on average, women’s income was estimated to represent only 63 per cent that of men’s ( Jamaica: labor market gender gap index 2021, by area, Statista).

“Women are the preferred gender for filling certain kinds of posts – clerical, administrative and the like, but when it comes to managerial roles, more things come into play,” said Montego Bay-based Chief Diversity Officer, Human Resources, Sandra Wong-Crosby.

“The things that made you best for the role of an executive assistant or admin assistant – that strong, caring, motherly persona, ironically make you bad for the roles where you’ll have to hang with the big boys.”

She added: “It is then that the real gender wars come into play, and then there are irregularities in treatment, for example, for those who are married vs unmarried or parents vs nonparents.”

Life coach Christopher Brodber, who revealed that he doubted the veracity of such experiences, said the thinking may be that a man will be committed to his job because he has responsibilities to live up to, and he shows himself mature.

“It may also be that the consideration is that a mother will be distracted form her job because of the needs of her child or children,” he said. adding that his experience of the Jamaican environment doesn’t support this.

“Single women, women without children, married women and women married with kids, are all doing very well Jamaica. They are all occupying top jobs. I believe over 60 per cent of senior managers in Jamaica are women. So if there is somewhere in the world with a trend that prefers fathers for jobs as opposed to mothers, I don’t quite know of it, especially in Jamaica,” he added.

“These are generally can-do times for all women, mothers or not. Women have a lot to be proud of with regard to the strides made into what was a man’s world. I think the prudent hirer will look at qualifications and quality of candidates, especially in this time, and away with any concerns for gender, marital or parental status. It is now obvious that a woman can do exceptionally whatever men are doing, regardless of her personal status.”

But, said the women below who made the ultimate sacrifice, it takes experiencing it, to understand that motherhood penalty and fatherhood bonus is real, and active in the workplace.

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

Marshae, 39, doctoral candidate:

I am a mother of three and a PhD candidate. I decided to step down from a managerial post, even though I was up for a promotion, to get more involved and hands-on with caring for and raising my children. I wanted to do the sports events, make the pom-poms, design and customise outfits supporting whatever they are involved in. I have never felt a greater need to protect and to be there for them. Unfortunately, it meant putting a cap on many of the things that I am passionate about. The fact is though, I am a mother before I am anything else.

Chevelle, 30, marketing consultant:

In 2020, shortly after I was offered a full scholarship to a prestigious university in the United States, I found out that I was pregnant. I wanted a child before 35, but it couldn’t have happened at a worst time. Honestly, I entertained the thought of an abortion, since I was basically about four weeks. After discussing it with my partner who was 43 and childless at the time, I decided to keep the baby. I had to give up my scholarship and chance of a free ride to a master’s degree, but I think I would do it again for the love of my child.

Anya, 35, web analyst:

My boss always makes these little comments about women with children, like saying they’re always late, always calling in about their kids being sick, and always generally unreliable, and even though he said I was nothing like them, it hit a nerve, because he never once commented on the babyfathers and I knew at some point it would be used against me if I failed. So when a bigger position came up, even thought it meant more money, I turned it down, because I knew that if at any time I failed to perform, they would use the “it’s because you have kids” line. I’d rather earn less and stay in my lane, then have anyone blame my kids for me not performing.