Is there a motherhood gap in the willingness to compete for pay? Evidence from the Netherlands, the UAE and the USA

Abstract

A substantial fraction of the gender gap in earnings is due to wage disparities between women with and without children. Inspired by evidence linking attitudes toward competition with labor-market outcomes, we explore the association between motherhood and the willingness to compete for pay. In two behavioral studies, one in the UAE and one in the USA, we find that mothers aged 18-30 are considerably less likely to choose a competitive payment scheme than similar women without children. The motherhood gap in competitiveness is not mediated by differences in ability, beliefs, risk attitudes, marital status, parental education, or the time since the last pregnancy. In a third study, using survey data from a Dutch panel, we do not find support for the hypothesis that motherhood causes women’s competitiveness to drop. Instead, the findings suggest that the reduced competitiveness of mothers predates the birth of their children. Fathers, across studies, are at least as willing as non-fathers to compete for pay.