The WNBA’s Most Valuable Teams 2026. Plus: Why You Should Embrace Your ‘Executive Athlete’ Era |
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Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 10, and I write these words knowing that they could bring up complicated feelings for many of us. Maybe you’re navigating a loss (of a mother, of a pregnancy, of a child); maybe there’s an illness in the picture; maybe you’re emerging from a stretch of caretaking and feeling unable to trust in the remission or recovery… As I look across my groups of friends and colleagues, I know there are myriad life situations that can color how you approach the second Sunday in May. If this describes you, skip ahead to our story on the most valuable WNBA teams, below my signature.
But for those who are interested in some data and also some news you can use, I offer three recent ForbesWomen stories. The first is a deep dive into what new research says about mothers’ careers and pay. Senior contributor Kim Elsesser looked at several recent studies, one of which found that timing may be an important factor in how motherhood impacts pay. Specifically, she writes, “Women who delayed motherhood until at least their thirties had lifetime earnings between $495,000 and $556,000 more than women who became mothers earlier.” That’s potentially good news. The bad news? “Even after controlling for age, race, marital status, education and working hours, early motherhood was associated with the lowest long-term earnings.”
Elsewhere on ForbesWomen, contributor Christine Michel Carter offers this guide to mothers’ legal rights at work and how to file a discrimination claim if you feel like your performance reviews, pay, and/or advancement opportunities have been adversely affected by your status as a parent. Among the good advice within that piece: “Mothers should proactively document company messaging, performance history, and any shifts in treatment, because patterns tied to timing can strengthen a legal claim.”
Our third........