A survey of 2,000 mothers of children aged 12-18 months by the NationalCentre for Social Research, presented at a seminar last week, found thatsingle mothers, low paid mothers or those working for companies withouttrade union recognition were much less likely to have access topart-time work, job sharing, flexible working hours and homeworking.
The report said, 'A substantial proportion of these mothers did not haveaccess even to arrangements they were legally entitled to, such as theright to request flexible working and to take parental and emergencyleave. Efforts to increase awareness and the accessibility offamily-friendly arrangements should be targeted at certain types ofmothers.'
Fifteen per cent of mothers who returned to work reported a decrease intheir earnings, despite not having reduced their working hours. Twentyper cent of mothers said their employer did not provide parental oremergency leave and 22 per cent said their work offered no support withchildcare or other support, such as career breaks and retraining.
The study's author, Ivana La Valle, said, 'For the right to requestflexible working arrangements you need to have been in the job for acertain amount of time. This discriminates against mothers who have beenout of employment and want to re-enter the workplace, but who needflexible working from day one.'
Panellist Fran Bennett of the Oxford Centre for Research into Parentingand Children, said, 'The motherhood penalty is atrocious. The challengeis to open up careers to mothers so they are not confined to working incertain areas.'
Further information:
'Maternity Rights and Mothers' Employment Decisions' is atwww.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep496.pdf.