Introduction:

Maternity (one of the roles most demanding and least valued by society) can cause that women interrupt or drop out their studies-which limits their job and professional development opportunities, coupled with the possible rejection and discrimination from society. The aim of this work was to analyze the perceptions that Mexican young undergraduates have regarding maternity in the workplace and school. A quantitative study was conducted.

Method:

Data were collected through a Likert-type survey questionnaire, which was applied to 2 360 young people from two institutions of higher education in Mexico City, during the months of September to November 2017. Factor analysis and generalized linear models were used.

Results:

It was found that the sons of mothers dedicated to their housework were the ones who perceived strongly that maternity is an obstacle for female employment. In the case of women, the ones who had a work activity showed a lower perception that maternity was an obstacle for the working sector.

Discussion or Conclusion:

It is concluded that men continue to maintain beliefs that motherhood is an obstacle, and that it cuts the working life of women-that is because men continue to attribute to women the responsibility of raising children as well as of preventing pregnancies.