Remote Work Lets Moms ‘Have It All’
June 10, 2026
A phrase that deserves retirement, along with “geriatric pregnancy,” is the “motherhood penalty.” The reduction in earnings after having children is the product of decisions—to work fewer hours, perhaps in a less punishing job, and spend more time with the baby. For nearly all women, the relationship capital—and the opportunity to do something fundamental to the human experience—will be worth far more than the marginal earnings.
Remote work is the biggest innovation for ambitious women with children since the dishwasher. Over the past six years, it has blunted the traditional trade-off between paid labor and family, and accomplished more than trillions of dollars in government daycare or paid leave could. And it has done all this at zero cost to the public fisc.
