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Official data indicate that mothers face a substantial reduction of £65,618 in income by the point their first baby reaches five, exposing the so-called “maternal penalty” that threatens their economic stability.

Significant and Enduring Earnings Reduction

Mothers in England face a “substantial and enduring decline” in their pay after giving birth to a child, as they become less inclined to stay in paid employment, per findings.

Analysis showed that women’s average each month earnings had decreased by forty-two percent, or £1,051 monthly, five years following the arrival of their eldest baby, relative to their pay one year before the birth.

Cumulative Losses For Several Children

This translates to a loss of over £65,600 across a five-year period, per the research, which monitored earnings information from 2014 to 2022.

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

Mothers are getting “penalized for caring, marginalized at their jobs, and expected to just absorb the cost.”

“And, the more kids you have, the greater the drop. This isn’t a gentle decline - it’s a economic nosedive leading to economic loss of more than £100,000 for a woman of 3 children.”

Severe Impact on Living Standards

Commentators labeled the drop in pay as “devastating for mothers’ quality of life.”

“Income is freedom, and stripping mothers of that independence because they became parents is nothing short of outrageous.”

The figures mirror the unjust situation for employed women, with calls for parental leave rules to be brought into the 21st century.

“Tackling the motherhood penalty requires bringing parental leave policies into the modern era, ensuring all parents and fathers get ample paid leave when they start as parents – we should properly accommodate parenting alongside work, not in spite of it.”

Existing Family Leave Policies

Shared parental leave was introduced in 2014, enabling parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave, and up to 37 weeks of pay following the birth or adoption of a baby.

However, usage has stayed minimal.

Under existing regulations, mothers’ leave is paid at 90% of a woman’s typical each week earnings for the initial six weeks, then falls to the lowest of either around £187 a per week or ninety percent of the mother’s average pay for 33 weeks.

Expectant fathers can receive 14 days paid leave at a amount of either £187.18 a week or 90% of average each week pay, whichever one is less.

Official Examination and Childcare Funding

Authorities has pledged positive measures from establishing adaptable schedules the default, to stronger protections for pregnant women and immediate paternity rights.

Yet with childcare funding for kids from nine months plus only just being introduced and childcare providers in certain regions struggling to accommodate demand, there’s yet a long way to go before mothers are on an level playing field.

Recently, working parents who earn up to £100,000 a year were qualified for thirty hours of government-funded childcare a per week during term time for kids aged nine months to four years.

This initiative coincides with the childcare industry encounters recruitment and financial difficulties.

A survey found that ninety-four percent of nurseries were expected to increase their fees for ineligible families.