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Official figures indicate that mothers experience a substantial reduction of £65,618 in earnings by the time their eldest baby reaches five, highlighting the termed “maternal price” that risks their financial security.

Substantial and Long-Lasting Earnings Reduction

Mothers in England undergo a “considerable and enduring drop” in their pay following giving birth to children, as they are less likely to remain in paid employment, per findings.

Analysis showed that mothers’ average monthly income had dropped by forty-two percent, or over £1,000 monthly, 60 months following the birth of their eldest baby, compared with their earnings 12 months before the birth.

Total Losses Across Multiple Children

It amounts to a loss of £65,618 across five years, based on the research, which followed earnings data from 2014 through 2022.

Typically, there is an extra reduction of £26,317 after the arrival of a second baby, and then a additional over £32,400 after the arrival of a third child.

Mothers are getting “punished for caring, sidelined at their jobs, and assumed to just bear the cost.”

“And, the more children you have, the deeper the drop. This isn’t a gentle decline - it is a economic nosedive leading to financial damage of more than £100,000 for a mother of three children.”

Catastrophic Impact on Living Standards

Experts labeled the drop in pay as “severe for mothers’ well-being.”

“Income is freedom, and stripping mothers of that independence because they became parents is absolutely unacceptable.”

Statistics reflect the unfair reality for mothers in the workforce, with demands for parental leave rules to be updated into the 21st century.

“Addressing the motherhood price needs bringing family leave rules into the modern era, ensuring all mothers and partners get sufficient compensated leave when they become parents – we should properly support parenthood together with work, not in opposition to it.”

Current Parental Leave Rules

Joint family leave was introduced in 2014, allowing parents to share up to 50 weeks of time off, and up to over eight months of pay after the arrival or adopting of a child.

Yet, participation has remained low.

Under existing rules, mothers’ leave is paid at 90% of a woman’s typical weekly pay for the initial one and a half months, then drops to the lowest of either £187.18 a per week or ninety percent of the mother’s typical pay for 33 weeks.

Expectant fathers can receive two weeks’ compensated leave at a rate of either £187.18 a per week or ninety percent of typical weekly income, whichever one is less.

Official Examination and Early Years Support

Authorities has pledged positive steps from making flexible working the standard, to enhanced protections for pregnant women and day-one fathers’ leave.

Yet with nursery support for kids aged nine months old plus just now rolling out and nurseries in certain regions struggling to meet demand, there’s yet a long way to go before women are on an level playing field.

In September, working parents who have an income below £100,000 a year became qualified for 30 hours of state-supported nursery care a per week during school terms for kids aged nine months old to four years old.

The roll-out comes as the childcare industry faces recruitment and financial difficulties.

A survey found that ninety-four percent of nurseries were likely to increase their fees for non-eligible families.