Press Release

Two Thirds of Mothers Now Return to Work After Childbirth

Embargo: Not for publication or broadcast before 10.00 am, Wednesday 30th July

Two thirds of mothers now return to work after having a baby, an increase of 50 per cent since 1988 when less than half (45%) went back, according to new research by the Policy Studies Institute. And a quarter of fathers change their working patterns after the birth of their baby, often by reducing their hours.

Research by Claire Callender, Neil Millward, John Forth and Steve Lissenburgh is published today in two reports: Maternity Rights and Benefits; and Family-Friendly Working Arrangements. Although most employers have made arrangements to help parents combine work and family responsibilities, many workplaces still have some way to go before they are truly 'family-friendly.'

Among the key findings:
  • Women are taking less time off work before having their baby. In 1996, over a third of women (37%) continued to work into the six weeks before childbirth, compared with only 15% in 1988. On average, women took 27 weeks maternity leave in 1996 but 14% of women who were entitled to the statutory minimum 14 weeks took less than this amount.

  • Women who returned to work after having a baby were more likely to return to the same employer in 1996 than they were in 1988 (86% compared with 75%). They were also more likely to return to work sooner after the birth (81% going back within 28 weeks in 1996 compared with 75% in 1988).

  • Many employers offered extra-statutory policies which can help parents but they generally favoured those which were relatively cheap. Over three quarters (77%) made some provision for women with children, usually time off for emergencies, and 71% allowed some employees to work flexible or non-standard hours. Nearly a third (31%) of workplaces which employed men had some form of paternity leave arrangements; whilst over a quarter of employers (27%) gave extra benefits around childbirth.

  • Fewer employers offered the more expensive kinds of support. Only one workplace in ten offered any practical help with childcare for employees and just 2% operated a workplace creche or nursery. The provision of extra-statutory maternity pay also rose only slightly from 14% in 1988 to 20% in 1996.

  • Many workplaces still have some way to go before they become 'family-friendly.' Only 5% could be seen as 'model' employers in terms of providing four kinds of family-friendly practices: maternity benefits, paternity leave, childcare arrangements and non-standard working time. Nearly a fifth (19%) of employers of pregnant women had not undertaken a health and safety assessment since 1994, which they are obliged to do by law to protect pregnant women at work.

  • A quarter of fathers had altered their working patterns after the birth of their baby, most commonly by reducing their hours or fitting in with their partner's work.

Only one per cent of employers said that the maternity rights legislation had caused them problems and there was a higher level of awareness of the legislation in workplaces where there had been a recent pregnancy. There was, however, some lack of awareness of the qualifying conditions for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and for conditions for payment of the higher rate of SMP for the first six weeks of maternity leave.

'Women's behaviour in the labour market has changed significantly in the last ten years' said Claire Callender, one of the authors of the research. 'Women are more likely to go back to work after having a baby and they are also taking less time away from work, both before and after childbirth. Some may do so because of financial pressures but others may be seeking to minimise any disruption to their careers.'

The research was funded by four government departments: the Department for Social Security and the Department for Education and Employment.

ENDS

Contact:Neil Churchill on0171 468 2236 (daytime)
0374 756 920 (outside office hours)

Notes to Editors:
  1. Maternity Rights and Benefits in Britain 1996, by Claire Callender, Neil Millward, Steve Lissenburgh and John Forth, is published in the DSS Research Series (Report No. 67). It is available from the Stationery Office on 0171 873 8466, priced £35. Press copies are available from the Stationery Office in the usual way.

  2. Family-Friendly Working Arrangements in Britain 1996, by John Forth, Steve Lissenburgh, Claire Callender and Neil Millward, is published in the DfEE Research Series (Report No. 16) and is available from Cambertown Limited (01709 888688), priced £4.95.

  3. PSI is a registered educational charity (no 313819) and has no association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.

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