--- title: "Gender Dynamics: Shrink the Power of the Motherhood Penalty" description: The motherhood penalty is a prevalent gender dynamic that creates barriers to women's advancement in countries around the globe image: https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/file-396716167-jpg/miscellaneous_images/white_men_meeting.jpg --- [![LN-Logo-2021](https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/hubfs/ADMIN%20-%20All%20Brands/LN/LN-Logo-2021.png?width=147&height=80&name=LN-Logo-2021.png "LN-Logo-2021")](https://www.leadingnow.biz/) # Gender Dynamics: Shrink the Power of the Motherhood Penalty 1 min read | [Susan Colantuono](https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/author/susan-colantuono) - Share: - [Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=) - [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&title=Gender+Dynamics%3A+Shrink+the+Power+of+the+Motherhood+Penalty) - [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&url=https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=&source=tweetbutton&text=Gender+Dynamics%3A+Shrink+the+Power+of+the+Motherhood+Penalty) - [Email ](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.leadingnow.biz/blog/bid/72623/2-gender-dynamics-the-motherhood-penalty?utm_medium=social&utm_source=) ![photo credit: Baltic Development Forum via photopin cc](https://www.leadingnow.biz/hs-fs/file-396716167-jpg/miscellaneous_images/white_men_meeting.jpg) Sitting in a talent discussion a manager says, *"She wouldn't want that assignment, she has young kids." *   Sound far fetched in the 21st century?   It isn't!   Our research finds that barriers created by mindsets like this are reported by women's focus groups in countries including the US, Canada, Brazil and India and focus groups of male managers in countries such as Belgium, China, Italy and Mexico.With this mindset, a manager might believe s/he is acting with care for the candidate and is unaware of the motherhood penalty s/he is applying. Being unaware, the motherhood penalty dynamic (with its underlying unexamined assumptions) controls the decision...the manager does not. As a result, women in general (and mothers in particular) fail to advance at rates equal to men. This is only one of many gender dynamics that impact talent actions, discussions and decisions. Leading Women offers [cutting edge insights](http://www.leadingwomen.biz/minimize-the-impact-of-gender-dynamics) into these dynamics and the actions managers can take to stop the adverse impacts of each. Take a peek... [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/292089/7e6a4cbd-368d-4a71-a996-75dc12cb62f7.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/292089/7e6a4cbd-368d-4a71-a996-75dc12cb62f7) For info on how our groundbreaking research on gender dynamics can reduce your organization's barriers to women's advancement, [contact us](https://www.leadingnow.biz/contact-us). 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