This booklet looks at one particular kind of discrimination - that related to family responsibilities - showing how it can lead to reduced incomes and a vicious cycle of poverty. Based on in-depth interviews of workers in Botswana, Honduras, Mexico, the Russian Federation, the United States and Vietnam, this paper shows by concrete examples how family responsibilities are affecting the ability of parents to get jobs, keep jobs and earn a decent living. The paper thus gives the reader an insight into the difficulties faced in the labour market by low-income women and men with family responsibilities.