I think there are a couple things that mediate these phenomena: 1) a multi-year gap in the CV is generally looked at less suspiciously when the reason is child

I think there are a couple things that mediate these phenomena: 1) a multi-year gap in the CV is generally looked at less suspiciously when the reason is child-rearing or some other positive commitment; you'll have to have an explanation for that gap that doesn't reduce confidence in you as a candidate. 2) There is a selection bias, I presume, with the immigrant comparison. Not saying these things invalidate the claim, but should be considered before accepting the claim at face value. BTW, the claim in the article was fairly weak: since women do return to work after child-rearing, then it is possible that an applicant can get hired after a multi-year gap in the CV.