The ‘motherhood penalty’: reality, impact and workplace interventions. (Advert ref: RDF18/PSY/ELSEY)

The motherhood penalty refers to working mothers’ disadvantaged position in employment relative to men and childless women. Women constitute roughly 50% of the population, yet their representation in workplaces and particularly executive positions is far less e.g. as low as 6% (Eagly & Carli, 2007). Working mothers earn less than childless women (Budig & England, 2001; Goldin et al., 2017), are discriminated against during hiring and promotion (Correll et al., 2007; Pas et al., 2011) and report lower career success due to number of career interruptions (Evers & Sieverding, 2014).

Despite legislation such as the Equality Act (2010) and increased opportunities for shared parental leave, women’s careers can stall post maternity leave, potentially due to women assuming responsibility for the caring and family responsibilities (Evers & Sieverding, 2014). A recent government study reported that 11% of new mothers have been made redundant, dismissed or left the workplace due to poor treatment; additionally 20% reported being discriminated against whilst pregnant and over flexible work arrangements (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2016). Transition back to work after maternity leave can lead to compromise and changing identity as well as work-life balance issues (Elsey, 2016). Furthermore, a recent report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee (2016) suggested more needs to be done to combat the motherhood penalty. Whilst policies exist to protect working mothers, they are likely to be ineffective if cultural attitudes reinforce the relative disadvantage of working mothers (Budig et al., 2012).

Mothers can utilise a range of digital media to support their transition to parenthood (Newhouse & Blandford, 2017; Yurman, 2017), however transition back to work affords less support (both technological and practical). Successful women such as Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) are advising women “lean in”, yet there is a paucity of empirical research examining the impact of motherhood on careers and additionally scarcity of evidence-based interventions to support healthy career transitions and return to work (Spitzmueller et al, 2016).

This research programme will utilise mixed methods to examine the reality of the motherhood penalty, exploring the real, lived experiences of women through their maternity journey and return to work, identifying enablers and barriers. The research will additionally examine the potential for digital interventions to facilitate transition and evaluate current levels of support offered to mothers returning to work.

Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
• Applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: 28 January 2018
Start Date: 1 October 2018

Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality and is a member of the Euraxess network, which delivers information and support to professional researchers.

Informal Enquiries
Enquiries regarding this studentship should be made to Dr Vicki Elsey
T: 0191 2437480
E: [Email Address Removed]