A significant barrier women face in men-dominated fields, like science and engineering, is balancing work and family responsibilities. While work-family conflict is not unique to these industries, it’s amplified by their long hours and high demands.

To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly offering family benefits, such as extended parental leave. Industries such as finance and technology in the United States and financial services in the United Kingdom are leading the way in offering generous parental leave policies.

However, such policies can have a paradoxical effect: despite their positive intentions in attracting women to men-dominated occupations, they may inadvertently harm women’s careers by reinforcing, rather than solving, inequities.

By comparison, recent research suggests that men may not face negative penalties after taking a parental leave. Moreover, taking a parental leave has been linked to positive impressions of men.

Our recent research suggests that women who take longer parental leaves in men-dominated industries may face penalties, including lower pay and limited promotion opportunities.

Enabling organizations to understand the unintended negative consequences of such policies and counteract them with initiatives that can help working mothers is critical to achieving equity aspirations espoused by leading companies.

Women are often seen as highly communal, characterized by traits like warmth and compassion, while men are viewed as highly agentic, associated with career dedication and ambition.

Agentic qualities are often deemed essential in men-dominated occupations, and these gendered stereotypes create a perceived mismatch between women’s communal traits and the agentic qualities valued in these professions.

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