It's no secret that being a mum is hard work. According to new research from Cornell University, being a mum is literally hard when it comes the paid workforce. A survey of women shows that the wage gap between mothers and childless women is actually larger than the wage gap between women and men...and it's a big one: $11,000
Using fake resumes for two equally qualified candidates–one childless, one a mum—the researchers found that the mother was 100% less likely to be hired when she applied for a position. Mothers were consistently ranked as less competent and less committed than childless women.
On the other hand, fathers got higher ratings than childless men. The researchers used more fake resumes to apply for 638 jobs over 18-months. Childless women got 2.1 times as many interview requests as mothers with similar credentials. There was no difference among fathers and childless men, however.
Researcher Shelley Correll is not surprised by the findings:
"I was not surprised to find that mothers were discriminated against, but I was very surprised by the magnitude of the discrimination. With gender or race, we often talk about the subtle ways that stereotypes are disadvantaging. With mothers, the effects were huge, such as being about 100% less likely to be recommended for hire than childless women and being offered much lower starting salaries."
What do you think? Have you experienced such discrimination?
More things you don't need
This week has been very popular for products that appear to be pointless.
May I introduce you to 'Mommy Measure', a $15 piece of measuring tape that you can buy when you are pregnant to measure the fundal height of your belly throughout your pregnancy. The 'tape' allows you to write memories and various other tidbits about how you are feeling so you can have a 'treasured keepsake'. You can mark each measurement with a love heart sticker.
Aw.
I don't know about you, but how many women out there want to remember just how big they got when they were pregnant?
What do you think? Cute or corny?
May I introduce you to 'Mommy Measure', a $15 piece of measuring tape that you can buy when you are pregnant to measure the fundal height of your belly throughout your pregnancy. The 'tape' allows you to write memories and various other tidbits about how you are feeling so you can have a 'treasured keepsake'. You can mark each measurement with a love heart sticker.
Aw.
I don't know about you, but how many women out there want to remember just how big they got when they were pregnant?
What do you think? Cute or corny?
It's an order: American soliders must shed their baby weight
Women might as well just give up on life now.
Just when you thought standards of beauty for post-baby mums couldn't possible get more unachievable, it seems that new mothers in the U.S. military are subject to pressures that most of us can avoid because our jobs don't demand it.
Enlisted US soldiers have six months postpartum to meet Army weight standards and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Otherwise, they can be flagged and ultimately lose their jobs. Until recently, women started physical training with their regular units six weeks after delivery, outnumbered by fit and unsympathetic men and commanders with no experience in training soldiers who are also new mothers. "They look down on you, no matter how good a soldier you were before," said Warrant Officer Jacey Martin, a new mother and soldier at Fort Bragg.
According to the Defense Women's Health Research Program, more than half of new mums fail their fitness tests and about one-third don't meet the weight and body fat standards within six months. Apparently, there are some postpartum PT (physical training) programmes, however, many PT instructors have not been trained in techniques for working with new mums.
Um, not so much.
Just when you thought standards of beauty for post-baby mums couldn't possible get more unachievable, it seems that new mothers in the U.S. military are subject to pressures that most of us can avoid because our jobs don't demand it.
Enlisted US soldiers have six months postpartum to meet Army weight standards and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). Otherwise, they can be flagged and ultimately lose their jobs. Until recently, women started physical training with their regular units six weeks after delivery, outnumbered by fit and unsympathetic men and commanders with no experience in training soldiers who are also new mothers. "They look down on you, no matter how good a soldier you were before," said Warrant Officer Jacey Martin, a new mother and soldier at Fort Bragg.
According to the Defense Women's Health Research Program, more than half of new mums fail their fitness tests and about one-third don't meet the weight and body fat standards within six months. Apparently, there are some postpartum PT (physical training) programmes, however, many PT instructors have not been trained in techniques for working with new mums.
Um, not so much.
Spice Girls: who has the better post-baby body?
It's a Spice Girls post-baby body battle according to Closer mag
Round 1: Mel B (Scary Spice) can't believe Mel C (Sporty Spice) needs a personal trainer to lose her baby weight.
The 34-year-old singer was shocked when she discovered her fellow Spice Girls star had hired an expert to help get her figure back after giving birth to baby Scarlet in February.
"I read about Mel C's post-baby fitness regime and thought, 'Good on her! I was surprised she has a trainer though, because she's always been so good at doing her own workouts and training - she is Sporty Spice after all."
Mel B is now famous for her toned physique and her crazy relationship dramas with Eddie Murphy.
She explained: "It's really important to take things slowly when you've had a baby because your body has been through so much. After Angel, I went for long walks and got back into weights and cardio only when I felt up to it. I found breastfeeding really helps the weight fall off too."
So does that explain why she had lipo after having her second baby?
Don't forget your LBD during birth *gag*
This product landed in my inbox the other day and when I saw it I laughed.It's called a 'Birthing Wrap' and its made by Kiwi company Womama.
According to the company, "Every pregnant woman deserves a little black dress to give birth in!"
Right. Excuse me while I wretch in the corner. As if women need a reason to look 'hot' when they are birthing another human being.
Anyway, I have a problem with the way this birth LBD is advertised. For example:
"Easy to move in and be monitored in. Feel feminine at home or in hospital knowing you are fully covered when you want to be."
Okay, considering pregnancy and birth are arguably the MOST feminine states of being for women I'm not sure why you need to wear an over priced organic cotton wrap to make you feel that way. I also find it interesting that the manufacturer starts with the premise that most women will be 'monitored' and giving birth in a clinical setting. Besides, how many women actually wear 'dresses' or wraps when they are in the throes of labour. Call me crazy most women I've talked to have ended up naked or wearing relatively little clothing at all by the time the baby comes.
"This gorgeous wrap has a silver screenprinted empowering print on the inside neck line - this will inspire you through the tougher moments of birth"
Give me a bloody break. Seriously. For AU$125, I think you are better off wearing nothing or a hospital gown. They may be ugly but they're free.
Molly Ringwald chats about twin pregnancy
Aw. What's not to love about Molly Ringwald?
Pregnant at 41 with twins, Molly talks to Fit Pregnancy about the impending birth, working out and her growing family.
On carrying twins: "I find it difficult to be restricted in my movements and to feel vulnerable all the time," she says. "I am used to feeling very strong and active."
On working out: She has stopped weightlifting but has remained active, instead using yoga and walking to stay in shape. "The priority for me has been resting," she says. “I try to eat right and be sane about it. I know my body will come back.”
On cravings: "Interestingly, when I was pregnant with Mathilda, I wanted Mexican food all the time. This time around I want Japanese food, which is a lot better. It’s kept my weight down and is definitely a better craving to have. I also want anything with water in it like cucumbers, watermelon and orange juice. The only thing that I can’t stand is the smell of eggs. It’s hard because eggs are one of my daughter’s culinary staples and she is a picky eater, so I am making scrambled eggs all the time. [She laughs.]"
Advice to other mums: “It’s important to eat right and take care of yourself. You don’t need to run a marathon but don’t stop working out if it feels good. You have to listen to your own body. And trust that you can give birth.”
Cover your mammaries with a breastfeeding hat...*gag*
Well folks. I've said it once, I think I'll say it a thousand times:I have seen the future... and it is not good.
Case in point: MoBoleez 'breastfeeding hats' (WTF?!).
In case you were wondering, these are also called 'Modern Bonnets for Breastfeeding Babes'.
These are supposed to be 'fun' hats that you are supposed to stick on your baby during feeding. What kills me the most, aside from the fact that the inventor uses the word 'fun' (somewhat inappropriately) in every other word of the product description, is that it is claimed that these hats are not meant to shield a woman's breasts from public view:
"The "stay on head sideways" design means that once the hat is on, it'll stay on, and no more fussing with dropping blankets or awkward, bulky 'nursing covers'. While the big brim gives mom a little privacy, it doesn't cover up the breastfeeding, it celebrates it in a fun sort of way!"
Okay, this description makes breastfeeding sound like a trip to an amusement park.
I don't know about you, but I don't see how a creepy looking oversized baby hat 'celebrates' breastfeeding.
Even more annoying is this:
"MoBoleez hats come with illustrations for the top of baby's head (visible when breastfeeding of course!). The cute pictures on top with their lighthearted messages ("Milky Way", "Bee-licious", etc) all convey the message that the MoBoleez mom is a proud breastfeeding babe, with a sense of humour and style!"
Right, so I'm seeing some contradictions here: 1) In my mind, calling a mother (or any woman, for that fact) a 'babe' invokes sexuality (e.g. a 'hot' or sexy woman). Yet, the product itself completely and utterly desexualises women's breasts by firstly covering them up and secondly by shielding them with a hat that has cartoon figures of teddy bears and kittens and other infantilising statements
2) The outside of the brim of the hat is printed with "YUMMY MUMMY". As we all know, that phrase has very specific, highly sexualised connotations in the media when it comes to mothers and particularly celeb mums. Therefore, to throw this around on a baby hat is weird. The creator says this:
"Is MoBoleez part of the “glamourization of motherhood” that the term ‘yummy
mummy’ signifies? At MoBoleez, we like to think of our products as contributing to the idea that that term needs to be re-appropriated by real mums, not the glamourized perfect bodies, perfect lives, sex-ification that is sometimes implied by the term. At MoBoleez, our products are about the “real meaning of Yummy Mummy”: breastfeeding."
If this product was all about 'reclaiming' the term YM for everyday mums then women wouldn't have to feel like that needed to cover up their boobs when they were feeding their babies. The implicit association of breasts with sex/sexuality is fundamentally why socially, people still think it is inappropriate to see women's breasts outside of sex. Thus, merely stating that by shoving 'yummy mummy' on a breastfeeding shield is going to de-sexify motherhood is absolute rubbish. After all, the creator, Diane Sam goes to great lengths to say that her product 'covers the breast, not breastfeeding'...Well, what's feminist about that?! So women should be proud to breastfeed but still worry about how their boobs look to other people or whether they can get away with it in public.
I don't think so.
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