Mothers ‘ being forced back to work to make ends meet’

MOTHERS are being forced to return to work as families struggle to make ends meet, employment minister Chris Grayling said yesterday.

The minister argued that the demise of the traditional housewife looking after her young family was one ‘very obvious’ trend from the current labour market.

He added: ‘I think we are seeing more stay-at-home mums saying, “I think I’ll look for a part-time job”.’

When asked if they were returning to work for financial reasons, he said: ‘I suspect so.

‘I suspect bad news stories about the eurozone and what the economic climate might be. People [are] saying, “Maybe it is time I started looking for a part-time job”.

‘If you are looking for trends, that is one of them.’

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of ‘inactive’ women – which means they do not have a job and do not want one – has dropped dramatically. Over the past year, the figure for those aged between 16 and 64 has fallen by 71,000 but, at the same time, unemployment among women has increased by 8 ,000.

The total number of unemployed women in Britain has reached 1.1 million, a figure which has not been matched for 5 years. This means that many former stay-at-home mothers are struggling to find decent work because of the embattled jobs market.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of the parenting website NetMums, said that Mr Grayling’s comments were ‘100 per cent right’, and that most mothers were forced into working rather than choosing to do so.

She said: ‘The vast majority who are going back to work, or who are working already, are doing it because they have to, not because they want to. Most women who are going back to work have a job, not a career. They are doing soulless, heartless jobs, such as working on a cash till at a supermarket.’ A decade ago, most women who worked used the money for ‘nice extras’ such as holidays, but ‘today it is about literally not even making ends meet’, she added.

For many women, the pressure to begin earning is fuelled

‘Working on a cash till’

when a husband or partner has lost their job, seen overtime disappear, or has lost lucrative shifts.

To make matters worse, household bills are rising sharply, with many, such as the cost of filling a car or heating a home, at or close to record levels.

A report last year highlighted the extreme pressures facing the modern British family, which was described as ‘struggling, tired, stressed and under pressure’.

During a survey, participants were asked if they agreed with the statement: ‘In an ideal world, one parent should stay home with the children.’

More than 80 per cent of parents of all ages said yes.

The report, from the consultancy Britain Thinks, revealed the devastating impact on family life of working parents.

Researchers said: ‘Mums often say they would have liked to have spent more time at home with their children in their younger years.’

It found ‘a yearning for traditional family values’, which many feel have disappeared, saying the ‘ideal’ family should have a mother and a father.

One mother was quoted in the report saying: ‘I felt really guilty when I had to go back to work. You’ll never get those early years back.’