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Official data reveal that women experience a staggering loss of £65,618 in earnings by the time their first baby reaches five years old, exposing the so-called “maternal price” that threatens their financial security.

Significant and Long-Lasting Pay Reduction

Mothers in England experience a “considerable and prolonged reduction” in their pay following having children, as they become less inclined to stay in the workforce, according to analysis.

Research revealed that women’s typical each month earnings had decreased by forty-two percent, or £1,051 each month, 60 months after the arrival of their first child, relative to their pay 12 months before the birth.

Cumulative Losses Across Several Children

It translates to a loss of over £65,600 over a five-year period, according to the analysis, which tracked earnings information from 2014 through 2022.

Typically, there is an further reduction of around £26,300 following the arrival of a second baby, and then a further £32,456 following the birth of a third child.

Women are being “penalized for caring, sidelined at their jobs, and expected to just bear the cost.”

“And, the more kids you have, the greater the fall. It’s not a gradual drop - it is a economic freefall resulting in economic loss of over £100,000 for a mother of 3 children.”

Catastrophic Effect on Quality of Life

Commentators labeled the decline in income as “severe for women’s quality of life.”

“Income is independence, and depriving women of that independence because they chose to become mothers is nothing short of unacceptable.”

Statistics mirror the unfair situation for employed women, with demands for parental leave rules to be updated into the modern era.

“Solving the motherhood price requires bringing family leave policies into the modern era, making sure both mothers and partners get adequate paid time off when they start as parents – we should properly support parenthood alongside work, not in spite of it.”

Current Family Leave Rules

Shared family leave was established in 2014, enabling couples to share up to almost a year of time off, and up to over eight months of earnings following the birth or adopting of a baby.

However, usage has stayed low.

According to existing regulations, maternity leave is paid at 90% of a woman’s typical weekly income for the first six weeks, then falls to the lowest of either around £187 a per week or ninety percent of the woman’s average salary for over seven months.

New dads can receive 14 days compensated leave at a amount of either around £187 a week or ninety percent of average weekly pay, whichever is less.

Government Review and Childcare Support

Authorities has pledged positive steps from making flexible working the standard, to enhanced protections for pregnant women and immediate paternity rights.

However with nursery support for kids from nine months and older only just being introduced and childcare providers in certain regions struggling to accommodate need, there’s yet a considerable distance to go before mothers are on an equal footing.

Recently, working parents who have an income below £100k a year were qualified for thirty hours of state-supported childcare a week during school terms for children aged nine months old to four years old.

This initiative coincides with the childcare industry faces staffing and financial difficulties.

Research revealed that ninety-four percent of childcare centers were likely to raise their prices for ineligible households.