Ellen Goodman, a nationally syndicated columnist who works for the Boston Globe wrote an article entitled "A Third Gender in the Workplace.” It’s a discussion of the theoretical monetary value of moms, both stay-at-home and working. More interesting/disturbing to me about the piece, however, is the discussion of the results of a study by Shelley Correll published in the American Journal of Sociology. Correll discovered in her study that there is a “Motherhood Penalty” in the workplace. Moms were seen as less competent and committed. Moms were half as likely to be hired as childless women or men with or without kids. Moms were offered $11,000 less in starting pay than non-moms. Eleven thousand dollars!?!?!?! And, just for good measure, they were also judged more harshly for tardiness. Correll also extrapolated that women who have been out of the workforce for two years or more, have it even harder.

I’ve been in a job search for many months now: many long and fruitless months. I have had exactly one interview- for a job that turns out, pays a lot less than I can afford to work for. Now I absolutely realize that I do not have the skills or experience to become a CEO or senior-level management. What I’m aiming for is a job that will cover the daycare I’ll have to pay for to go back to work and have some money left over to make a contribution to the family finances. If I was challenged and enjoyed the job as well, that would be a bonus. I am blessed to be a well-educated woman. I’ve been successful in the workforce. And I cannot find a job. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for mom less-educated or younger or with more children. What is left over after childcare?

I’ve been trying to wrap this blog entry up for three days now. I can’t seem to write a final paragraph wrapping it all up nice and neat. Maybe it’s because I can’t wrap this topic up nice and neat. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been writing after the girls go to bed and no one is sleeping well in the house so we’re all sleep deprived. So maybe I’ll just end like this: Cut moms a break. We could all use it.