One million fewer stay-home mums than 24 years ago

THere are now one million fewer stay-at-home mothers in Britain than when records began.

Less than one in ten women are housewives or stay-at-home mothers – the lowest rate ever recorded.

Campaigners say growing financial and societal pressures on families mean more mothers feel forced to work even when they want to be full-time parents.

The number of working-age women choosing to look after family or home has fallen by a third in 24 years from 2.91million to 1.91million, according to the latest figures. But the population has increased at the same time, meaning just 9.2 per cent of working-age women today are stay-at-home mothers or housewives, compared to 15.9 per cent when records began in 1993.

Lynne Burnham, of campaign group Mothers At Home Matter, said: ‘Many

‘Women bearing double burden’

mothers would rather be spending more time with their children when they are young rather than deal with the stresses and strains that full-time employment brings.’ Despite a small growth in the number of men choosing to stay at home, the Office for National Statistics figures show only around one in 100 modern fathers look after children instead of working. Siobhan Freegard, founder of video parenting site ChannelMum. com, said: ‘ While a million more women have entered the labour market in the last two decades, the number of stay at home dads has crept up by a tiny one per cent. ‘This suggests women are bearing a double burden and working more both inside and outside the house. ‘With the rising cost of housing and living, this is perhaps inevitable, as there are many parts of the country where it is not possible for a family to survive on a single average wage.’ She added that employers could help by offering flexible working. Mrs Burnham said the figures could hide the fact many women who work now do so around their children, with part-time jobs or working from home. The figures come as a survey vey of working mothers revealed more than half had to take a backwards or sideways career move when returning from maternity leave. Women in London were most likely to have to sacrifice their place on the career ladder, with nearly two thirds saying they took a lower position or moved job after having a child.

According to the poll of 1,000 mothers, by conveyancing firm My Home Move, around one in ten mothers nationwide – and one in four in London – had requests to change their hours turned down by their bosses when they returned to work.

Just under two thirds of mothers wished they could work from home but only one in ten were allowed to work away from the office.