About 40,000 Paraguayan mothers believe that finding a job is much more difficult due to prejudice against motherhood in the workplace, according to research released by employment specialist Enrique López Arce. The study shows that many women face barriers from the selection process onward, to the point that some prefer not to mention they have children during interviews, for fear of being excluded from hiring.
López Arce states that the idea that mothers miss work more often persists, a stereotype that continues to affect the job opportunities of thousands of women, despite advances in equality. Currently, 35% of Paraguayan families have women as the main breadwinner, reflecting the great economic and social responsibility that many mothers assume, but this burden does not translate into greater access to the formal market.
The research also highlights the impact of early motherhood on education: many women who were mothers in adolescence do not complete high school and achieve, on average, only 10 years of schooling, limiting their employment opportunities. Regarding marital status, 36% of the mothers surveyed are married, 33% live in a stable union, 10% are single, 11% separated, and 8% widowed.
Difficulties increase for women with large families: mothers with three or more children have fewer chances of being hired due to perceptions and prejudices still present in the Paraguayan job market.