Motherhood pay penalty a “scandal”, says TUC

Research published this week by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that the gender pay gap grows year-on-year after childbirth.

Commenting on the findings, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It is scandalous that millions of women still suffer a motherhood pay penalty. Many are forced to leave better-paid jobs due to the pressure of caring responsibilities and the lack of flexible working.”

The research is supported by a previous TUC study published in March, which revealed that women who become mothers before the age of 33 earn 15% less than similar women who haven’t had children because they are often less supported in the workplace than more senior women.

To address the motherhood pay penalty, the TUC wants to see more support for more equal parenting roles to stop women being held back at work; better paid leave for fathers; free childcare from the end of maternity leave to help younger mothers with less seniority and lower pay to stay in work after having children; and better enforcement of legislation against discrimination linked to pregnancy and childbirth

It also wishes to see more well-paid jobs to be available flexibly (job shares, part-time working, compressed hours), to prevent women getting stuck in low-paid, part-time work after having children.

O’Grady added: “Without more well-paid, part-time jobs and affordable childcare, the gender pay gap will take decades to close. We need to see a step change in government policy and employer attitudes if we are to fix this problem.”

Totaljobs Group Sales Director, John Salt, also commented on the findings: “Despite the many game-changing initiatives aimed at promoting diversity in the workplace, and the growth of flexible working schemes in effect, it is difficult to comprehend how such a profound divergence between women and men still exists.

 “For employers, the reality is that encouraging women in the workforce and, in particular, supporting mothers returning to work improves the rich mix of talent and skills a thriving workplace needs.”