The dual-earner dad penalty in salary progression

This study investigates four alternative theoretical explanations for the gap in salaries between dual-earner and traditional male managers. The sample was 348 married male managers with children at home. They were employed by twenty Fortune 500 organizations. The data show that when controlling for work force experience and industry differences, salaries of the dual-earner male managers increased an average of 59% over five years, while the salaries of traditional managers increased by 70%. This gap could not be accounted for by differences between the groups in human capital or conformance to social norms related to the family. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the validity of signals of hours in the office and wife as resource.