Starting a family helps men get promoted

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Becky Barrow

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Having children make men ‘redouble’ their commitment to their job, according to the 30% Club

Many women fear having a family will slow down their career.

But it seems fathers needn’t worry – because the opposite is true for them.

Men with children are more likely to be promoted in their jobs than any other types of workers, including women with no children and even men with no children, a report revealed yesterday.

Women lag behind whether or not they have children, the report found – with only ‘a marginal but not significant’ difference between the career chances of women with and without.

The landmark report is based on the experience of more than 4,600 workers at UK companies, including many FTSE 100 corporate giants.

Of senior men with children, 74 per cent have had five or more promotions, compared to only 65 per cent who are childless.

The report said having children typically makes a man ‘redouble’ his commitment to his job, while it is stereotypically seen as an unhelpful distraction for mothers.

The research, published yesterday by the 30% Club, which campaigns for more women in Britain’s boardrooms, said: ‘For women, care-giving is thought to reduce their commitment to a career.

‘For men, bread-winning is thought to redouble their commitment to a career.

‘Choosing to ‘have it all’ is usually framed in problematic terms for women, but rather less so for men.’

Rachel Short, a director of YSC, a firm of business psychologists, said: ‘When men have children, they are suddenly seen as the bread winner, and that they are now really committed to their careers.

‘Other people’s perception of their level of commitment also increases.’

The report, conducted by YSC and the accountants KPMG, insists that it is ‘a myth’ to argue that women’s careers are destroyed by having children.

While many women leave the workplace after having children, it said the ones that do return to work are even more likely to be promoted.

Caring for children often acts as a distraction for women, and seems to have no bearing on getting promoted

Of senior women with children, 57 per cent have had five or more promotions, compared to only 51 per cent for childless women.

The research only looked at senior and executive women in the workplace, rather than more junior or backroom staff.

Ms Short said women have a ‘renewed zeal’ after having children.

She

said ‘They don’t want to just sit in a back room job and earn their pin

money. They want their career to work out and to do really well in it.’

When asked to look back on when they became mothers, many senior women said they were ‘less concerned about the impact of having children on their careers.’

They said it was more like ‘a pit stop in a grand prix.’

But the real issue, which vastly overshadows having or not having children, remains a worker’s gender.

Ingrid Waterfield, senior people adviser at KPMG, said: ‘The biggest difference is still whether you are a man or a woman.’

Overall, 38 per cent of men in the workplace receive five or more promotions compared to 29 per cent of women.

Comments (5)

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Toxin,

Fomalhaut, United Kingdom,

4 hours ago

They ought to do a comparison between the private sector and the civil service. Anecdotally I’m informed that being a woman is the only way to get promoted in the latter.

Rachel123456,

Middle Earth, United States,

4 hours ago

Before you have kids, make sure that you’re really ready for it because kids are a full time responsibility.

Steven,

Hartlepool, United Kingdom,

4 hours ago

published yesterday by the 30% Club – I stopped at that line after realising its another typical feminist male bashing article. The silly thing is, if women got these jobs they would complain they don’t have time to spend with their kids and start demanding perks…how do I know? because its already happening if you are to believe the many articles on this site alone.

Rachel123456,

Middle Earth, United States,

4 hours ago

Before you have kids, think twice because with kids you constantly have to be on the move, so ask yourself if you’re really, truly ready.

The All Seeing Eye.,

N. London,

4 hours ago

What about all of the “low life” males that can be seen on day-time TV, involved in arguments about offspring?

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Starting a family helps men get promoted