The Motherhood Gamble

This article is part of the series, “Left Hook Economics: The Dollars & Sense Policy Forum.”

Nancy Folbre discusses the distribution of the costs of raising children. While many mothers enjoy adequate support from fathers, the risk of financial hardship looms large if the partnership comes to an end.

“Mothers, on average, earn significantly less than fathers over their lifetime, a finding that has been labeled the ‘motherhood penalty.’ In the United States in 2024, full-time employed mothers earned about 74 cents for every dollar full-time working fathers made.”