ABSTRACT
There is no doubt that for women, who are birth mothers and often the primary parent even in cases of adoption, parenthood disadvantages them in the workplace. Women hold approximately 46.7 percent of the 353,000 museum jobs in the United States. It appears that in a field with so many under-resourced institutions there are smaller staffs and fewer human resource offices, despite the fact that the museum field employs large numbers of people in their childbearing years. It is possible to create policies that are gender neutral and serve all types of family situations, while acknowledging that pregnancy and childcare affect women's work lives disproportionately. At smaller institutions where extra money is harder to come by, recognizing and being respectful of family issues goes a long way toward creating a staff that is happy, committed, and focused. Job applicants, whether male or female, should read an organization's human resources policy carefully before accepting employment.
