Let’s drop the Motherhood Penalty and make every mothers’ day

As we celebrate the mothers and figures in our life, we acknowledge every nuance of motherhood.

For the women of Aotearoa, that includes the Motherhood Penalty — something that here at Global Women, we’re working to bring attention to and stamp our, for the women and mothers of Āotearoa.

The Motherhood Penalty refers to how on average, mothers earn 12.5% less than fathers of the same age and education over the course of their career.

Last year, we went full steam ahead with exploring the Motherhood Penalty with our award-winning campaign, advocating for better understanding of it and ultimately calling on everyone to play their part in stamping it out.

This comes as in the last week, the Helen Clark Foundation released a report, Āhurutia Te Rito | It takes a village, detailing the troubling state of maternal mental health in New Zealand.

This Mother’s day, we want to continue striving towards dropping the Motherhood Penalty — however it crops up — and make every mothers’ day. Supporting our mamas takes many forms, and we take this occasion to do just that.

Want to learn more about the Motherhood Penalty? Explore more here.