Motherhood carries a steep price tag, mostly in lost wages and benefits, says Ann Crittenden in The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued. She estimates that the "mommy tax" exceeds $1 million for many college-educated women, not including other compensation, such as retirement savings. “What is needed is across-the-board recognition—in the workplace, in the family, in the law, and in social policy—that some-one has to do the necessary work of raising children and sustaining families, and that the reward for such vital work should not be professional marginalization, a loss of status, and an increased risk of poverty," she writes. (The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World Is Still the Least Valued, Crittenden)
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