The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions

Ana Júlia Calegari Torres¹, Letícia Barbosa-Silva¹, Ligia Carolina Oliveira-Silva^{1

2}, Olívia Pillar Perez Miziara¹, Ully Carolina Rodrigues Guahy³, Alexandra N Fisher², Michelle K Ryan^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. Pará, 1720-Bloco 2C, Av. Maranhão, s/n-Campus Umuarama, Uberlândia 38405-240, MG, Brazil.
² The Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
³ Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, Av. Professor Mello Moraes, 1721-Butantã, São Paulo 05508-030, SP, Brazil.
⁴ The Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE Groningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 38667071
PMCID: PMC11047346
DOI: 10.3390/bs14040275

Review

The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions

Ana Júlia Calegari Torres et al. Behav Sci (Basel). 2024.

. 2024 Mar 26;14(4):275.

doi: 10.3390/bs14040275.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. Pará, 1720-Bloco 2C, Av. Maranhão, s/n-Campus Umuarama, Uberlândia 38405-240, MG, Brazil.
² The Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.
³ Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, Av. Professor Mello Moraes, 1721-Butantã, São Paulo 05508-030, SP, Brazil.
⁴ The Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE Groningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 38667071
PMCID: PMC11047346
DOI: 10.3390/bs14040275

Abstract

(1) Background: Despite the progress made by women in the workplace, mothers still face systemic barriers that prevent them from advancing professionally. This "motherhood penalty" involves a variety of discriminatory practices and experiences that mothers can face at work, including being held to stricter standards regarding salary and recruitment. 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. This scoping review seeks to gain an understanding of how motherhood impacts women's career progression, and how interventions can address the underrepresentation of mothers in leadership. (2) Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, we analyzed 52 articles from 2010 to 2022, drawn from 10 databases. (3) Results: The results showed both negative and positive impacts of motherhood on career progression, affecting mothers' attitudes, feelings, and behaviors and yielding changes in interpersonal relationships and work conditions. 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. (4) Conclusions: This scoping review offers an updated perspective on a classic challenge, providing practical insights for a more inclusive and structural understanding of the career trajectories of working mothers.

Keywords: career; interventions; leadership; motherhood; progression; review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Stages of data collection for the literature review.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Correll S.J., Bernard S., Paik I. Getting a job: Is there a motherhood penalty? [(accessed on 22 March 2024)];Am. J. Sociol. 2007 112:1297–1338. doi: 10.1086/511799. Available online: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511799. - DOI - DOI
1. Burgess N. The motherhood penalty: How gender and parental status influence judgements of job-related competence and organizational commitment. [(accessed on 22 March 2024)];Semin. Res. Pap. Ser. 2013 32:1–11. Available online: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/lrc_paper_series/32/
1. Kim A., Hahn Y. The motherhood effect on labour market outcomes: Evidence from South Korea. Asian-Pac. Econ. Lit. 2022;36:71–88. doi: 10.1111/apel.12363. - DOI
1. Martins G.D.F., Leal C.L., Schmidt B., Piccinini C.A. Motherhood and work: Experience of women with established careers. Trends Psychol. 2019;27:69–84. doi: 10.9788/TP2019.1-06. - DOI
1. Archibong U., McIntosh B., Donaghy L. Time to make healthcare professions more accessible to women with children. Br. J. Healthc. Manag. 2020;26:56–57. doi: 10.12968/bjhc.2020.0019. - DOI

Publication types

Actions

Grants and funding

406604/2021-5 and 401131/2022-0/National Council for Scientific and Technological Development

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions

Affiliations

The Impact of Motherhood on Women's Career Progression: A Scoping Review of Evidence-Based Interventions

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

References

Publication types

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources