‘Baby window’ and pay gap for women

Today, married couples in the United States are likely to have similar educational and career backgrounds. So while the typical husband still earns more than his wife, spouses have increasingly similar incomes. But that changes once their first child arrives.

Immediately after the first birth, the pay gap between spouses doubles, according to a recent study — entirely driven by a drop in the mother’s pay. Men’s wages keep rising. The same pattern shows up in a variety of research.

But the recent study reveals a twist. When women have their first child between age 25 and 35, their pay never recovers, relative to that of their husbands. Yet women who have their first baby either before 25 or after 35 — before their careers get started or once they’re established — eventually close the pay gap with their husbands.

The years between 25 to 35 happen to be both the prime career-building years and the “baby window” years when most women have children.

The study — published by the Census Bureau in November — is one of several recent papers that show that children account for much of the remaining gender pay gap. That gap has narrowed significantly over the past four decades, as women have gotten more education and entered maledominated professions, but a divide remains.

Women who have babies late typically have different career paths from those who have them early. Those who first give birth in their late 30s tend to be more educated with higher-earning jobs, while those who have babies in their early 20s have less education and earnings.

The issue, in general, comes down to time. Children require a lot of it, especially in the years before they start school, and mothers spend disproportionately more time than fathers on child care and related responsibilities.

This seems to be particularly problematic for women building careers, when they might have to work hardest and prove themselves most, and less so for women who have already established some seniority or who have not yet started careers.

Women are more likely to reduce their work hours, take time off, turn down promotions or quit their jobs to care for family. Even in families in which both parents work full time, women spend almost double the time on housework and child care. And when women work fewer hours, they are paid disproportionately less and become less likely to get raises or promotions.

“This shows that the birth of a child is really when the gender earnings gap really grows,” said Danielle Sandler, a senior economist at the Census Bureau and an author of the paper.

The study found that overall, women earn $12,600 less than men before children are born and $25,100 less afterward. It