More than twice as many mothers return to work for financial reasons than to further their careers.
According to a survey by price comparison website Uswitch, 52% of mothers who return to work do so because they cannot afford to stay at home to bring up their children. The report found just 22% return for career reasons, the Telegraph has reported.
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Uswitch also found the average family sees its net monthly household income fall 34%, from £3,431 to £2,266 a month during maternity leave.
Ann Robinson, a director at Uswitch, said: “Despite women being told they can ‘have it all’ and can choose whether to be a working or stay-at-home mother, the fact is most have this choice stripped away from them by the financial realities of modern life.”