Obstacles facing women returners

According to research carried out by the gender campaigning organisation, the Fawcett Society, the vast majority of mothers (84%) experienced difficulties when returning to work after maternity leave, often because of a lack of flexibility.

It also found that almost a third (30%) were not given any support from their employer when returning to work. This could include coaching, access to parental networks, mental health assistance and/or financial advice.

Lower-earning mothers, and those who took longer maternity leave, were afforded the least support. As a result, about one in 10 mothers (11%) never return to the role they left, and just under a fifth (19%) of those who do, quickly consider leaving.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that in 2021, 76% of mothers with dependent children were employed. This represents a 15% increase over the past two decades, and the highest level on record.

Nevertheless, due to caring responsibilities, women across the board are still seven times more likely to be economically inactive than men. In their 30s, the difference is even more striking, with one in 10 women aged 30-39 years old being out of the labour market, compared to just one in 100 men.

Breaking the figures down further, the research found that white mothers’ employment rate was five per cent lower than that of childless white women, mothers of Indian, Black African, and Chinese heritage face an employment gap of up to 11%, compared to childless women of their own ethnicity.

Other research by the Fawcett Society has found that, on average, mothers with two children earn 26% less than women without children, while fathers see their earnings rise. This inequality worsens over time, with a 10% difference in hourly pay between mothers and fathers at birth, rising to nearly 30% by the child’s 20th birthday.

Fawcett recommends, among other things, that employers should:

• Provide guidance on flexible working.
• Highlight the support on offer.
• Track the retention, training and promotion of individuals post maternity, paternity or parental leave.
• Analyse this data every six months.

The Fawcett Society worked closely with Totaljobs, a recruitment agency, in carrying out this research. It included surveying 3,000 working parents with children aged four and under, 500 HR decision makers and 1,254 working adults.

To read the report in full, click here.