Holding the baby: the motherhood penalty

The gender pay gap stubbornly persists across the rich world—in the OECD women earn around 12% less than men. The academic consensus has largely blamed the “motherhood penalty”—the fact that women still tend to bear the brunt of child-rearing responsibilities. But new research is challenging that view. Hosts: Alice Fulwood, Tom Lee-Devlin and Mike Bird. Guests: Marianne Bertrand, professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business; Erik Plug, professor of economics at the University of Amsterdam; and The Economist's Christian Odendahl. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.