Reading this article was a powerful and emotional experience. Sometimes, we know certain truths, but seeing them confirmed with actual data can be both validating and heartbreaking.

“Whether women have children or don’t have children, want children or don’t want children, they are perceived as less worthy of positions, promotions, and earnings than their male colleagues. As noted in legal scholar Joan C. William’s book Unbending Gender, ‘The impact of motherhood shadows every woman, narrowing her options. Even those without children may be harmed.’ Yet if we keep marginalizing women at work — no matter their parental status — we all lose out. Innovation requires a diversity of ideas and perspectives. As a World Economic Forum study found, companies with above-average diversity reported higher innovation revenue than those with below-average diversity. When half the population is kept from contributing or advancing at work, societal progress is slowed.”

How Biases About Motherhood Impact All Women at Work

In my own career, I have been told that my perspectives would change once I have children. I have also witnessed hiring decisions influenced by a woman’s potential for motherhood, and I have observed how women without children are often expected to take on more work, as their time is perceived to be “less valuable.” This issue is playing out in real time on the political stage as well.