Fewer than one in three (31%) working mothers have access to the flexible working arrangement they need to successfully balance childcare with their careers, research has found.
A report from gender equality charity the Fawcett Society and Totaljobs finds that returning from maternity leave is only the first hurdle; many mothers face barriers to progressing in their careers after having a baby, and lack the support they need to balance work with family life.
Eighty-four per cent faced challenges returning to work after maternity leave. When they re-entered the workforce, 30% received no support.
Nineteen per cent have considered leaving their job because of a lack of support, and 11% have actually handed in their notice for this reason.
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More than a quarter (27%) of the 3,000 working parents polled said that a negative reaction from their manager has prevented them from asking for support again. The same proportion said they felt uncomfortable discussing the support they needed, and 40% were worried that bringing it up would make them look uncommitted to their work.
Asked about the types of support they wanted to see, 39% of working mothers wanted more flexible work options. However, only 31% are currently being offered the working arrangements they need.
Legislation giving employees the right to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period has received Royal Assent, and is likely to take effect in spring 2024.
One mother told the Fawcett Society and Totaljobs: “It feels like a minute-counting exercise when I need to pick up my child. It’s quite frustrating to be honest, because there are days where I work longer hours, and no one takes account of those. But if I need 15 minutes to take my daughter to nursery and back, I have to account for those 15 minutes.”
Although 28% wanted more training and development opportunities and 44% agreed that they felt more ambitious after having a baby, 79% said they faced barriers when trying to advance their careers.
Having already faced criticism from management colleagues about being unavailable for meetings on my nonworking day, I felt that my working pattern was incompatible with a senior leadership position.” – working mother
One in five saw their job responsibilities reduce after maternity leave, twice the number of returning fathers.
Women who take longer maternity leave are particularly affected, with 37% of those who had 26 weeks off seeing their remit shrink. In some cases, mothers are even demoted, with 12% of Asian mothers experiencing unrequested demotions,
compared to 7% of all women.
One woman said: “I was offered a promotion after returning from maternity leave but turned the opportunity down. The role was one that I had done before and I knew I could deliver, but I was committed to working four days a week to spend the fifth day with my young children. Having already faced criticism from management colleagues about being unavailable for meetings on my nonworking day, I felt that my working pattern was incompatible with a senior leadership position.”
Employers’ policies
Employers were also asked about how they supported parents. Eighty-five per cent claimed to have specific policies to support parents as they returned to work, including flexible working arrangements, mental health support and training, which suggested there was a disconnect between the support employers think they provide and what mothers believe is available to them.
Jenna Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said that having supportive policies on paper was not good enough and that employers needed to create genuine family-friendly cultures.
“The few years that a mother spends looking after children is a tiny proportion of her working life. Too often, outdated prejudices and assumptions mean that women face unnecessary and harmful attitudes that hold them back,” she said.
“Only when we fully embrace company-wide cultures of flexible working will we see mothers have the best chance of being fully integrated into the workforce.
“We call on businesses and government to prioritise ending the motherhood penalty by properly supporting women to balance their work and caring responsibilities. Right now, the UK simply cannot afford to let these talents go to waste.”
The report makes several recommendations for employers:
- building a clear policy framework featuring contact and keep-in-touch days during maternity leave, guidance on flexible working requests, and scheduling return-to-work meetings
- analysing data that tracks retention, training and promotion of individuals post-maternity leave, and setting targets to improve these measures
- building a positive culture by educating all staff and managers about the challenges faced by parents and highlighting how this can benefit productivity and the gender pay gap
- embedding flexible working arrangements and have open conversations with employees about what is available to them.
It adds that the government should require employers to advertise the flexible work options available to job applicants and reform childcare provision to make it more affordable and accessible for all parents.
Totaljobs chief executive Jane Lorigan said: “With critical labour shortages, the pressures of childcare could ultimately have a longer-term impact on our ever-shrinking workforce. Not only do working parents need more support, but we need to ensure this support extends to the people who need it the most.
“While businesses can only go so far without a government policy change, there are very important steps they can take to improve the situation. Tracking the progress of working mothers when they return from maternity leave will help highlight any shortcomings from the business side. Creating a clear policy framework will let everyone know where they stand. And clearly signposting the support available will ensure no working mother misses out on the support she is entitled to.”
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