Early motherhood carries wage penalty, while delaying pays off

A woman's early career pregnancy decision may shape her financial future for decades, according to new research co-led by Eden King, the Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Psychology at Rice University, and Nicola Lawrence-Thomas, a lecturer in work psychology at the University of Sheffield. The study, one of the first to examine long-term earnings across different early reproductive paths, found that women who became mothers early in life earned significantly less over time than those who had an abortion or never became pregnant.