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The Midlife Motherhood Penalty: How Moms Pay the Price from Childcare to Retirement

Girlfriends of a Certain Age
Girlfriends of a Certain Age
Episode • Jul 2 • 32m

Are you a mom over 50 wondering why you’re still feeling the financial and emotional weight of motherhood, even as your kids grow older?

In this episode, we uncover The Midlife Motherhood Penalty—a hidden burden many women face that stretches from unpaid childcare years to a lower retirement fund. From career breaks and caregiving expectations to societal blind spots and emotional burnout, we’ll break it all down.

💡 Learn:

  • Why midlife mothers are falling behind financially
  • The emotional toll of "invisible labor"
  • What you can do now to reclaim your power, purpose, and financial peace

This is not just a conversation; it’s a call to awareness, healing, and action.

The article that inspired this conversation is: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/opinion/motherhood-penalty-career.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

✨ Subscribe for more honest conversations about midlife, motherhood, and personal power.


Check out Jessica’s Substack here.

Swing by Flesché’s Substack here.


See you next week!

Jessica & Flesché


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