| A persistent gender wage gap and the increasingly larger share of families with female breadwinners make gender wage inequality a problem not only for women, but also for families. The well-researched motherhood wage penalty demonstrates compounded forms of gender inequality, where women with children earn less than their non-mother counterparts even when controlling for a host of other factors. Yet, research also evidences the existence of a union wage advantage, the higher wages for both men and women associated with union coverage compared to those not in unions (Mishel 2012). Little to no research has examined if and how unionization offsets or reduces forms of inequality, such as the motherhood wage penalty. This paper attempts to fill this gap in knowledge, using a cross-sectional difference-in-difference model to examine if the positive wage benefits associated with unions for women lead to reduced negative effects on wages associated with motherhood. Results from the analysis show that, when controlling for socioeconomic and professional factors, the combination of being a mother and in a union does not lead to consistently positive wage effects. Despite discouraging findings when looking at a nationally representative sample of mothers, specific sub-groups, such as younger mothers, Hispanic mothers, and mothers with less than college degree, do experience positive impacts on wages from being in a union. |
