Surveys Expose Brazil’s ‘Maternal Ceiling’ in Hiring and Promotion

Overview

• Nearly half of mothers surveyed by Catho said they lost a job opportunity because they were mothers or pregnant, and very few reported being hired or promoted while pregnant.
• Interview bias is widespread, with 76% saying recruiters asked if they had children and 68% asked who would care for their children during work hours.
• Infojobs found many women pull back after having children, as 25% stopped applying for new roles and 13% chose to slow their careers.
• Motherhood is now landing later in careers, with 48% of respondents aged 35 or older, yet only 2% hold senior leadership roles and 36% report unemployment.
• Experts urge concrete employer supports such as childcare aid, lactation rooms, flexible hours, phased returns, mentoring, broader parental leave, and mental health care to reduce the penalty mothers face.