German mothers earn €30,000 less than women without children
German mothers earn significantly less than women without children, with income losses far exceeding earlier estimates, according to a new study by the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the Netherlands' Tilburg University.
The study found that in the fourth year after giving birth, mothers earn on average €30,000 ($35,000) less than women of the same age who do not have children — around €10,000 more than previous estimates, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Researchers analyzed data from 186,000 mothers, revealing that the impact of motherhood on earnings depends heavily on the age at which women have their first child.
“If women become mothers under the age of 30, they not only face income losses but also miss key career steps in the formative early phase of their working lives,” said study co-author Lukas Riedel.
By contrast, women who have children later tend to be more established in their careers, having already gone through the phase of steep wage growth. While they experience larger absolute declines due to shorter working hours, they find it easier to return to their careers in the long run, the study found.
The findings highlight the continuing financial penalty of motherhood in Germany, despite growing political and public pressure to improve work-life balance and gender equality.
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