mommy tax

In her book 'The Price of Motherhood', author Ann Crittenden coined the term "mommy tax" to describe the economic toll motherhood takes on a woman's earning potential over the course of a lifetime. Even if a woman goes right back to work after having children, statistically she'll earn significantly less than her childless counterparts.

This 'mommy tax' has proven that having a child in your 20s may not be financially optimal. "My younger clients in their 20s and early 30s have a lot of debt," says financial adviser Elise Stevenson, president of Clearvue Advisors in Milton, Massachusetts. "College loan debt is such a problem for young people today – it's a noose around their necks. And as they struggle to pay it off, it's very easy to slide into credit card debt."

mommy tax by Emotional Cruiser October 23, 2025