ITHACA, N.Y., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Cornell University study finds mothers may face discrimination in the job market in both hiring and salary.
The survey used 192 undergraduates, who were asked to evaluate two resumes from women with similar qualifications. In one case, a memo identified the applicant as a mother of two and her resume said she was an officer with a parent-teacher association.
Eighty-four percent of the test subjects said they would hire the childless woman, while only 47 percent would hire one with children. Asked about starting salary, the undergraduates would be willing to offer the childless woman an average of $11,000 more per year.
Shelley Correll, an associate professor of sociology, said her findings for men were a mirror image of those for women. The test subjects found fathers more suited for work than childless men and would offer them more money.
Correll said previous studies have shown undergraduate test subjects share attitudes with real employers. But she hopes to repeat the experiment with people doing actual hiring.
Correll and graduate student Stephen Benard plan to present their findings at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia.
