Having children shouldn’t mean the end of your career, but there are some challenges you may face, particularly as a mother.
This article will unpick some of the obstacles women in the UK face and how society, businesses, and we, as individuals, can overcome these to thrive in our careers.
Women are much more likely to leave the workforce than men
According to figures from The Guardian, in the past year alone (2022), 43,000 women left the workforce to look after children. This is a 3% increase from the previous year. The number of people not working because of childcare commitments has been at its highest level since the height of lockdown in May 2020. This is against a backdrop of a record number of job vacancies.
According to the IFS, from June to August 2022, 27.6% of women didn’t work because of family commitments, compared to 7.4% of men. Even in those relationships where women out-earned men, 13% of new mothers left the workforce after having a child, compared to just 3% of men.
So, some women still feel compelled to leave the workforce. This article will explore some of the reasons why.
Why do women’s careers stall after children?
The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the average hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women as a proportion of men’s average hourly earnings (excluding overtime). It’s a measure across all jobs in the UK, not of the difference in pay between men and women for doing the same job.
It’s important to recognise that the gender pay gap starts to materialise before women have children, but motherhood widens that gap further.
The Times has found that Female graduates in nearly every academic subject earn less than men five years after graduating, even though they are more likely to be employed. This is true even in those sectors where women outnumber men, such as teaching.
According to the latest figures released through the government’s gender pay gap reporting mechanism, women in the UK were paid just 90p for every £1 earned by a man.
Many things feed into exacerbating the gender pay gap, but one of the biggest is discrimination women still face in the workplace, including pregnancy and maternity discrimination.
Pregnancy and maternity discrimination is when you’re treated unfairly because you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or have recently given birth. A 2017 survey carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that 77 per cent of mothers said they had been subject to a negative and possibly discriminatory experience during pregnancy, maternity leave, or after their return from maternity leave.)
This discrimination leaves many women feeling unwelcome (and unappreciated) at work, with no option but to leave the workplace.
The cost of childcare plays a massive role in pushing people out of the workplace. The Guardian has found the average cost of a full-time nursery place for one child is £274 p/w. This figure alone is higher than many people’s mortgage or rent payments. And if you add a second child into the mix, the fees often outstrip one part of the couple’s wage. And as, on average, women tend to be the lower earners in heterosexual couples, they’re more likely to be the ones to sacrifice their careers and bring up the baby.
Once your children are at school, you may be unable to find a job that accommodates school hours. Schools close at 3:00 pm/3:30 pm. Most workplaces close at 5:00/5:30 pm. So you may find yourself in a race every term to secure an expensive after-school club and expensive holiday clubs each school holiday (and yes – there are lots of school holidays – much more than the average annual leave allowance).
Research in the US shows part-time workers earn 29.3% less per hour than other workers with similar demographics and education levels. So – even if you’re lucky enough to get a part-time job that works around your family, you may find your career then stalls compared to your full-time colleagues!
How can government legislation help parents to thrive in their careers?
First and foremost, we need to start valuing unpaid care more than we currently do. As the pandemic showed – women still take on most of the childcare and domestic burden but are then viewed by Recruiters and Employers as less committed to their work. If the government and society appreciated how the paid economy couldn’t function without the unpaid economy (equivalent to 63.1% of the gross domestic product), Employers and Recruiters would view career breaks and part-time work less negatively. Those who take career breaks would then find it much easier to return to work and progress in their careers.
The government needs to take the long view regarding childcare and invest in it further to enable those who want to work to work. At the moment, too many people (predominantly mothers) find it is more expensive for them to go to work than stay at home. This can’t be right. Although the short-term cost may be high, this can only be a good thing if it prevents more women from leaving the workforce, maintaining their rung on the career ladder, and paying higher taxes over a long career. Women who stay in work also have a larger pension pot at the end of their careers, with less reliance on government top-ups and benefits in later life.
It’s fabulous news that employees can now request flexible working from day 1 of new employment. However, despite 5 in 10 employees working flexibly and 90% of people wanting some form of flexibility at work, only 3 in 10 jobs advertised mention flexible working (that would allow parents to juggle family life) in their job adverts. I would therefore love to see legislation put in place that forces companies to disclose the level of flexible working on offer in each job advert. If an employee can’t work the job flexibly, the onus should be put on the Employer to explain why in their adverts.
And once in the interview process (as in New York), asking a candidate about their salary history should be illegal. As Fawcett Society East London rightly points out, the issue is that, according to the ONS, the gender pay gap for all employees is 15.5%. For full-time employees, the gender pay gap is 7.4%.
So by asking about your salary history, female candidates (and candidates who have emigrated here from a country with an unfavourable exchange rate) are automatically disadvantaged. And basing a new job offer on a previous salary (which many Employers do) perpetuates the gender pay gap cycle.
Finally, at present, you only have 3 months minus 1 day to make a discrimination claim against your Employer. This is too short for knackered mums who have just given birth and are up all night with a new baby. The period needs to be extended to 6 months to give those who perhaps have suffered the worst forms of discrimination and are at their most vulnerable time to make their case when they are less tired and can focus more and get the justice they deserve.
How can employers support their female talent?
One way to easily attract more female applicants to job adverts is to advertise all roles as open to flexible working. In 2019, Zurich became the first firm in the UK to advertise all its vacancies with the options of “part-time,” “job-share,” or “flexible working,” according to the World Economic Forum. Combined with gender-neutral language, this led to nearly 20% more women applying for management roles. The number of women hired for senior positions also rose by a third!
With 90% of candidates looking for flexible work but only 30% of adverts mentioning it, including the option to work flexibly really helps them stand out in a crowded market.
Another easy way to reduce the gender pay gap in organisations is to include salary information in all job adverts. If the role is not paying enough, candidates will increasingly only apply to job adverts with salary details to save their time. More transparency about salary ensures your female staff members are not underpaid.
And on the same note, employers should stop asking candidates about their salary history during the interview process. Your job offer is for your job vacancy. It shouldn’t be based on what they were paid elsewhere for a different job.
It’s important to actively collect and analyse data to identify bias in recruitment and promotion within your organisation.
Investment in return-to-work schemes in the same way companies do for graduate schemes (or open existing graduate schemes to career returners) will attract new talent to organisations. If funds allow, coaching for employees, particularly those going through a big life event, to help them navigate work and home, build their confidence, and perform at their peak.
What should we do to ensure our careers stay on track after kids?
The first thing to say is that everyone wants different things, so get to know yourself, what you want and what your definition of success is. Success will look different to different people. Stay in your own lane, and (I know it can be tricky) stop comparing yourself to others. We’re all on our own journey.
Some of the most successful people I’ve interviewed for my Work It Like A Mum podcast actually stepped back from their careers while their children were small. They may have worked shorter hours and made more sideways moves rather than upward ones during this period, but they resumed an upward trajectory when home life was a little less hectic. Recognise it is a long game.
Stop trying to do it all—gather a great support network, make sure you share domestic tasks equally with your partner, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. If you can afford to, outsource certain domestic tasks, like cleaning or grocery shopping online. If you want to thrive at work, you’ll need to lower some expectations about what you can achieve at home. And I ALWAYS buy cakes for the bake sale.
And finally, don’t be afraid to invest in yourself! Mothers will often put themselves last – particularly when it comes to family finances, but investments in your career will almost always pay for themselves (and then some!). So it always makes financial sense to invest in your career – be it a course, a coach or new tech.
Once you achieve career success, please don’t pull up the ladder behind you! There’s a myth that women support other women, but that’s not always true. If women are going to achieve full equality at work, we need more women supporting and championing other women, so support and mentor other women where you can!
Understanding the hurdles of re-entering the workforce or scaling the career ladder after children, we’ve crafted bespoke career services to empower you. At Investing in Women, we offer a suite of career coaching services designed to make your professional profile irresistible to recruiters and hiring managers alike. From a CV Glow-Up that tells your unique story to a LinkedIn Level-Up that expands your network and an Interview Confidence Boost that prepares you for success – we’re here to support your journey. Discover how our expert services can transform your career prospects by visiting our Career Coaching Services page.
Our additional blog post here offers more expert advice about how young mothers can get the support they need.