When women encounter severe bias once they have children

Maternal Wall is the strongest and most open form of gender bias. It stems from stereotypes that link motherhood with lack of competence and commitment. The leading study on maternal wall stereotypes found that, compared to women with identical resumes but no children, mothers were:

• 79% less likely to be hired
• 100% less likely to be promoted
• Offered $11,000 less in salary for the same position
• Held to higher performance and punctuality standards

Bias against mothers stems not only from assumptions about what mothers are like, but also from assumptions about how mothers should behave. Even today, women often encounter statements indicating that mothers don't belong in the workplace. Such statements can either be hostile ("Mothers belong at home") or benevolent, ("I assumed she didn't want the fellowship because she just had a baby)."

These scenarios illustrate the Maternal Wall stereotype bias (or lack of it). These scenarios are based on information from surveys and focus groups of faculty women.