In my opinion, there are many women and more so moms in the workplace. Mothers have managed to be successful with parenthood, marriage and their careers.

But a recent, groundbreaking study conducted by Cornell University, shows that women are still combating the perception that if you're a mom, you can't focus on that big presentation; you can't focus on the next creative project; you can't focus on your next trial, etc. The survey revealed that moms are less likely to get hired, are paid less than equally qualified fathers or women without children and are seen as less competent.

For the study, Shelley J. Correll, an associate professor of sociology and Stephen Bernard, a graduate student and researcher, enlisted 192 undergrads to evaluate fictitious jobseekers for a Marketing Director position. Two applicant profiles were created with the same qualifications – one a mother of two and the other a married woman without children. And the survey says, students were much more apt to hire the childless woman than the moms, 84%-47%. Moms were viewed as less promotable, and less likely to be recommended for management than non-mothers.

Fathers were offered considerably higher salaries than men without children, while mothers, on average, were offered $11,000 less than women without children. Fathers were seen as more stable and committed to their jobs than mothers. This is more evidence of the bias women on a whole face in their careers and helps explain why women are underrepresented in the upper ranks of many major companies. Belle Rose Ragins, a professor in the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee says, “It’s an ugly antiquated stereotype that’s still rearing its ugly head”

To work around these barriers encountered in the workplace, mothers should look for family-friendly firms with benefits like on-site day care and flextime. On your resume, do not advertise you are active in your child’s PTA, and on the job, do not make it obvious that you are a mom by advertising that you are leaving early to pick up your sick child.

Moms, you might want to slip off your wedding ring before your next job interview! And, try not to talk about your adorable children. Outing yourself as a mom can make it tough to get and keep a job!