Career Interrupted

Highlights

• An aging population will place greater pressure on firms to attract and retain high-potential women to fill skill shortages.
• But, the Canadian workplace may be experiencing a topping out of female participation among the core working age group (25-44) – the feeder pool into higher level positions.
• The unexplained portion of the gender gap appears to largely capture a ‘motherhood gap’.
• Skills atrophy plays a smaller role in the motherhood gap than first thought.
• The length of absence is generally found to be less damaging than the frequency of absences.
• Women incur far less financial penalty the more experience they build before exiting, irrespective of the length of time they ultimately remain out of the workforce.
• Returning to the same employer also reduces the wage penalty.
• Firms should self-explore whether the non-linear career path of mothers is penalized as a negative signal of labour force attachment or ambition.

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