As a result, working mothers are the most vulnerable to suffering career penalties and work-family stress. They are generally less satisfied with their personal growth and their careers. They earn less than women without children, in part because they work fewer hours. Motherhood turns out to be a career liability. For men, however, fatherhood is a career asset.
Fathers have more authority on the job than men without children have.
This is the major reason why fathers are more satisfied with their careers and why they achieve more. Tradeoffs between the conflicting demands of work and family are inevitable. Unfortunately, women feel forced to make more of these tradeoffs than do men. They spend more time on household activities and far more time on children, and they make more adjustments to their schedules. Mainly, men must take up more of the child-care and household responsibilities.