If you're a working American mom, your paycheck is probably being impacted by the motherhood penalty. As the only country in the developed world without a federal paid family leave policy, the United States lags devastatingly behind its peers when it comes to childcare—especially Germany, Norway, and Canada, where governments help supplement the cost of each kid.

Typically, women with children make significantly less than their childless female co-workers. In the video above, we try to untangle this bizarre (and ingrained) prejudice against working moms. Our take? Moms with just one kid tend to fair better, though first-time parents can feel pressured to give their eldest child a sibling (sometimes even while they're still in hospital after having given birth). Most importantly, we can fight the motherhood penalty by supporting laws that set the foundation for universal paid family leave and that extend affordable childcare to all.