MOTHERHOOD PENALTY 2.0: The Impact of Career Breaks on Women’s Professional Growth

Motherhood-related career breaks can have consequences that extend beyond the period away from paid employment. Women may face challenges in re-entering the workforce, updating skills, rebuilding professional networks and accessing promotion or leadership opportunities. These outcomes are not inevitable and should not be interpreted as evidence of reduced capability. They are shaped by labour-market expectations, workplace culture, organisational policy and the availability of support. The motherhood penalty can be reduced when organisations recognise career breaks as a life-course experience rather than a deficit. Fair recruitment, structured re-entry, relevant training, supportive management, flexible work without career penalties and transparent advancement systems can help women sustain professional growth. A genuinely inclusive workplace should ensure that caregiving responsibilities do not permanently limit an individual’s opportunity to contribute, develop and lead. The proposed descriptive framework provides a basis for further empirical study and for HR policy development aimed at equitable career continuity.

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