Abstract Although parenthood and occupational sex segregation have been identified as important contributors to the gender wage gap, the interwoven effect of the two is insufficiently explored. Using data from the China Family Panel Survey (2010–2022), this article examines how parenthood and gender-typed occupations interact in shaping wages for females and males in China. Results show that, compared to those in male-dominated and integrated occupations, women in female-dominated occupations encounter trivial motherhood penalties but are poorly paid regardless of parenthood. The wage advantage provided to females in the non-female-dominated occupations vanishes once they become mothers. In contrast, fathers are relatively well-paid irrespective of occupational gender type, while non-fathers in non-male-dominated occupations experience a significant wage loss compared to those in male-dominated occupations. The gender pay gap is thus sustained by parenthood and gender-typed occupations. Our findings further provide insights into how family status reinforces workplace gender inequality despite occupation integration in China’s context.
Liu et al. (2026) studied this question.