Most new mothers return to work because they need the money, not because they want to, according to research released today.
The survey of 1,000 parents by website mother@work found that for nearly two-thirds (62%) of parents the decision to return to work was purely financial. Just 13% chose to return to work because they loved their job.
The research also revealed that, once back at work, most mothers (85%) did not feel they were treated the same as colleagues without children.
A small percentage (9%) admitted that they had experienced hostility or resentment from co-workers, and 7% said they had been passed over for promotion or were not offered overtime.
Despite an extension of maternity and flexible rights for parents coming into force in April, three-quarters (76%) of respondents admitted they were not aware of their new rights or did not understand how the legislation would affect them.
Denise Tyler, founder of mother@work, said: “The results make fairly grim reading – parents are under pressure to return to work for monetary reasons and in some cases face a hostile environment.”
She said parents needed to be having “adult conversations” with their employers about the issue.
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