Your premise is incorrect though —” A common explanation for pay disparity between men and women is that women take more time off to care for children (and other reasons).”
From the moment they’re hired, women start making less. 2017 and 2018 studies by McKinsey and Lean In, showed that on day one, most women get handed a slower promotion path which means that, over their working lives they earn less than the guys. It starts before there are any children in the picture.