Childbearing Age and the Shadow Mommy Effect on Hiring: A Large-Scale Field Experiment

48 Pages Posted: 25 Aug 2022 Last revised: 15 Nov 2024

See all articles by King King Li

King King Li

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Lunzheng Li

University of Cyprus - Department of Economics

Wei Si

School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University

Zhibo Xu

Shenzhen University

Date Written: August 23, 2024

Abstract

This study examines the shadow mommy effect—discrimination against women of prime childbearing age in the labor market. We sent 35,713 fabricated CVs to genuine job advertisements in the IT, accounting, and HR sectors across four major cities in China, accurately simulating real job-seeking conditions. Our findings reveal that women of prime childbearing age face disadvantages in the job search process, even when their maternal and marital status is not disclosed. The impact of this effect varies by occupation, firm ownership, and location. Consistent with intersectionality theory, our results suggest that employers’ decision biases are largely shaped by the intersection of gender and age perceptions. Social expectations regarding motherhood heighten concerns about the costs associated with gendered parental responsibilities, thereby driving the shadow mommy effect. 

Keywords: Correspondence Study, Labor Market Discrimination, Motherhood Penalty, Fertility, Childbearing age, Gender

JEL Classification: C93, J71, J16, M51

Suggested Citation

Li, King King and Li, Lunzheng and Si, Wei and Xu, Zhibo, Childbearing Age and the Shadow Mommy Effect on Hiring: A Large-Scale Field Experiment (August 23, 2024). ShanghaiTech SEM Working Paper No. 2022-004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4199754 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4199754

King King Li

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong ( email )

Hang Shin Link
Siu Lek Yuen
Shatin, Hong Kong
China

Lunzheng Li

University of Cyprus - Department of Economics ( email )

75 Kallipoleos Street
P.O. Box 20537
1678 Nicosia
Cyprus

Wei Si (Contact Author)

School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University ( email )

393 Middle Huaxia Road, Pudong
Shanghai, 201210
China

Zhibo Xu

Shenzhen University ( email )

3688 Nanhai Road, Nanshan District
Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060
China

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