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Despite policy advancements, disparities in income and career progression remain, with mothers disproportionately assuming childcare and household responsibilities. This study explored the impact of parenthood on professional and personal life through thirty semi-structured interviews with Portuguese mothers and fathers living in Portugal and seven other European countries. Thematic content analysis revealed a dual narrative shaped by gender norms and country contexts. Women perceived motherhood as a career barrier, with some reducing work hours or leaving the workforce to become primary caregivers. In contrast, men assumed the breadwinner role by increasing workloads. Parenthood also had gendered health implications: women, particularly in Portugal, experienced anxiety and guilt, whereas men described physical health effects. The findings underscore how parenthood perpetuates gender disparities, highlighting the need for equitable parental leave policies and workplace reforms that support caregiving responsibilities for both mothers and fathers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0192513x251400278","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,29]],"date-time":"2025-11-29T17:17:02Z","timestamp":1764436622000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["\u201cBe Mothers as if we Were not Workers, Be Workers as if we Were not Mothers\u201d: A Qualitative Study on Parenthood\u2019s Impact on Careers and Well-Being"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0754-724X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Sofia","family":"Monteiro Maia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Margarida Miguel","family":"Costeira e Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Campus Universit\u00e1rio de Santiago"},{"name":"University of Aveiro"},{"name":"Oslo Metropolitan University"}]},{"given":"Svenn-Erik","family":"Mamelund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oslo Metropolitan University"}]},{"given":"Joana Maria","family":"Correia Amaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"S\u00edlvia Jesus da","family":"Silva Fraga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Teresa Isabel","family":"Costa Le\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_6_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119171386.ch19"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_3_1","unstructured":"Association W. 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