The Price of Motherhood Among Second-Generation Immigrants in France

This study investigates motherhood-related labour market disadvantages among second-generation immigrant women in France, with particular attention to variation by parental origin. While research on the motherhood penalty has predominantly focused on majority women, considerably less is known about how motherhood-related inequalities vary among the native-born daughters of immigrants. Using data from the French *Enquête Emploi en Continu* (2015–2020), we examine employment and wage outcomes among second-generation women of European, non-European, and mixed parental origins, relative to women of native origin. The findings reveal substantial heterogeneity across origin groups. Women with two non-European-origin parents exhibit the largest predicted employment gap between mothers and childless women, although the origin-specific interaction attenuates and is no longer statistically significant after accounting for selection into motherhood. Women of European origin display employment patterns associated with motherhood that are closer to those of native-origin women. More pronounced differences emerge for wages. Among employed women, each additional child is associated with a significantly larger wage disadvantage for women with two non-European-origin parents. By contrast, women with one non-European-origin parent display a positive motherhood–origin interaction in wages, suggesting advantageous selection among mothers who remain employed. These findings demonstrate that motherhood-related labour market disadvantages are not uniformly distributed but remain structured by parental origin even among women born and raised in France.