Mums more likely to work than ever before

More part-time jobs and availability of childcare contribute to increase

THE proportion of mums in work is at its highest level on record.

Three-quarters (75%) of women with dependent children were in employment in April to June 2019, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

That compares to 62% in the same period in 1996, when comparable records began.

Women aged 16 to 64 with dependent children are now more likely to work than those without - in 1996, 65% of women without dependent children were in jobs, rising to 71% in 2019.

Men with dependent children are much more likely to work, and the proportion has been rising too, up from 87% in 1996 to 93% in 2019.

The increase in working mothers is mostly been driven by those with younger children.

The proportion of mothers whose youngest child is under five who are in work has risen from 57% in 2008 to 69% in 2019. The figure includes those on maternity leave.

Longitudinal studies have found women who stayed in education longer tended to go back to work much faster than their less qualified peers when they did have children.

Researchers have also linked the shortening of women’s employment breaks to the growing availability of part-time jobs and found the extension of statutory maternity leave (the statutory paid period increased from 26 to 39 weeks in 2007) has helped mothers to continue their careers.

The ONS said it was useful to consider the figures in the context of changing government support for parents, such as the introduction of shared parental leave in 2015 and the extension of free childcare provision for three- and four-yearolds to 30 hours in 2017.

Research by charity Coram Family and Childcare found access to childcare was a factor in whether women stayed in or went back to work after having children.

Women who lived in the top 25% most expensive areas for childcare were less likely to return to work than women who lived in areas where childcare was cheaper. Those trying to combine part-time work with caring responsibilities are particularly hard hit.

The charity said this was a cause for concern, confirming women who might want to continue working and build their career could be pushed out by the expense.

As well as this, women who used informal childcare, such as grandparents, were more likely to return to work - 74% of mothers who used informal childcare had returned to or started work three years after the birth of their child, compared to 47% who didn’t have this option.

Coram Family and Childcare said the research showed the need for government interventions to make childcare more accessible and affordable.