abstract: 'Objectives

  Prior research has repeatedly shown that parenthood affects employment

  outcomes; mothers have, on average, lower wages and are less likely to

  be hired than childless women. Some research indicates that this effect

  of parenthood on employment outcomes is dependent on sexual orientation.

  In particular, lesbian mothers might be treated more like childless

  women by those making employment decisions. This article examines the

  degree to which the lesbian wage advantage can be explained by lesbians

  avoiding the motherhood wage penalty experienced by heterosexual women.

  Methods

  Drawing on 2000 U.S. Census data, this issue is first explored via

  ordinary least squares regression equations that estimate the effect of

  having a child present in the household on income. The Blinder-Oaxaca

  method is then employed to decompose the earnings differential between

  heterosexual and gay individuals.

  Results

  Results indicate that lesbians appear to experience a motherhood

  advantage that increases their wages by approximately 20 percent.

  Further, results support the notion that lesbians receive different

  returns to the presence of children in the household than do

  heterosexual women. Approximately 35 percent of the wage differential

  between lesbians and heterosexual women is attributable to differences

  in returns to child rearing.

  Conclusion

  These findings have relevance for state and federal anti-discrimination

  laws and work/family policies, as they provide further insight into the

  role that gender, and gender-based assumptions, play in determining

  employment outcomes.'
affiliation: 'Baumle, AK (Corresponding Author), Univ Houston, Dept Sociol, 450 Philip
  Hoffman Hall, Houston, TX 77204 USA.

  Baumle, Amanda K., Univ Houston, Dept Sociol, Houston, TX 77204 USA.

  Baumle, Amanda K., Univ Calif Los Angeles, Williams Inst, Sch Law, Los Angeles,
  CA 90024 USA.'
author: Baumle, Amanda K.
author-email: akbaumle@uh.edu
author_list:
- family: Baumle
  given: Amanda K.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2009.00673.x
files: []
issn: 0038-4941
journal: SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY
keywords-plus: WAGE PENALTY; DISCRIMINATION; EARNINGS; MOTHERHOOD; GAY; JOB
language: English
month: DEC
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '40'
pages: 983-1002
papis_id: 414ee7e25803e834dafee3542a94f005
ref: Baumle2009costparenthood
times-cited: '25'
title: 'The Cost of Parenthood: Unraveling the Effects of Sexual Orientation and Gender
  on Income'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000270832500012
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '11'
volume: '90'
web-of-science-categories: Political Science; Sociology
year: '2009'