The motherhood penalty can be detrimental to a woman’s career. From fewer opportunities to be promoted to perceived competence at a job, researchers have found that mothers earn less money with each additional child they have. Conversely, for men, fatherhood comes with the opposite effect. Men in the workplace earn more money and are perceived to have a stronger work commitment when they become dads. This is all to say that when one thinks of working moms, Olympic athletes — which require years of intense physical and mental training — aren’t exactly the first to come to mind. But this year, the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are changing that as mothers are center stage. According to Olympics.com, a record number of Olympic medallists are competing as moms for the first time this year. And it’s not just moms competing, but some of the most memorable moments from the Olympics so far are of mothers and their kids.
Take Italian long-track speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida, for example. On her 35th birthday, Lollobrigida set an Olympic record, won her first gold medal, and then celebrated with her two-year-old son in hand. Lollobrigida took interviews with the press, holding him and posing for photos. She also honestly shared that it hasn’t been easy balancing motherhood and being an Olympian, estimating that she is away from home roughly 250 days a year. “The message I want to show is I didn’t choose between a family, being a mom (and being a speed skater),” Lollobrigida said, according to the New York Times.
