In the UK, 82% of women will be mums by the time they’re 40 and that equals 43% of our workforce. The research shows that mums want to return to work and often (despite what others may think) to a job that matches their experience, skillset and performance. Yet all too often the reality is far from it and many women are quiet quitting and the female talent is draining from our organisations.
There’s lots at play but the motherload and lack of support through a major life change in many organisations can create the perfect crunch point where something’s got to give and it’s all too often women’s careers.
In a recent survey, fewer than one in five women feel confident returning to work after maternity leave:
37 per cent consider handing in their notice due to lack or organisational support.
Across women working at the management level, less than a fifth felt happy and confident about returning to work.
85% of women are leaving full-time employment within three years of having a child.
Only 24% returned from maternity leave to their original hours, while 57% left the workforce, with many stating redundancy, mental ill-health and not being able to manage juggling their work and family responsibilities as the causes.
Another study showed it can take more than a decade on average for women to return to their pre-maternity salaries and level with mums tending to accept lower-skilled roles than they were capable of for flexibility or their only route back into employment.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission reported 77 per cent of mothers had a negative or possibly discriminatory experience during pregnancy, maternity leave or on returning to work in its 2018 Is Britain Fairer? Report.
I’m not liking these findings, yet it doesn’t surprise me having worked with so many women through this career transition and hearing their experiences alongside my own. It’s only a few years in a long career with women often working longer now as they need to and in the light of recent cost of living backdrop, that’s set to continue. Changes are happening and there is more we can do to support working mums through this time to get the best from our female talent.
Research shows only 20% of organisations offer any support like flexible working, other policies, maternity coaching, KIT (Keep in Touch) days, mentoring or support through having a family. Organisations have varied approaches to flexible working and changing working patterns around a growing family. Some managers are informed and support and in the worst cases there’s no psychological safety, unconscious bias and no support. We can definitely look to do something on this front:
Increase awareness and train managers as most will need to manage women on maternity leave and returning to work.
Offer maternity coaching support alongside parental groups and support like KIT days - it costs a lot less than the average £19k to replace someone at work.
Review your approach to flexible working and childcare or wider policies and options – there’s a lot more than just the default part time.
Think about how you manage talent and have the right conversations with your women returners about their careers. Keep them on succession plans and options open.
The motherload is a thing, it’s the extra mental (cognitive and emotional) load alongside the physical load that often falls mainly on women after having children. Whilst times are changing, women still feel the weight of the expectations to take on everything and are often doing this at a time when they may have other caring responsibilities and that’s before we even mention the menopause too!
It’s no wonder at this time, many women can give up, leave or head down a path to stress and burnout. There is a lot women can do themselves as often we take it all on ourselves or just can’t see any other options. With some support to manage both the demands on their time and their thoughts and feelings through this time, many can find the right balance and enjoy working and raising a family.
What if every woman had the right support for them through this life change?
What would be the impact for their organisations and the other important people in their lives too?
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