Majority of working mums unhappy with return-to-work support, research reveals

Working mums are unhappy with the support they get when they return-to-work, research from & Culture Consultancy found. 

Only 17% of those surveyed felt confident about going back after maternity leave, and more than half said they were not happy with the support from their employer. 

Just 20% described their return as very positive, and most (70%) said the process was stressful or left them with negative feelings.

The research found that 57% of women leave full-time work within two years of returning from maternity leave. 

Maternity was flagged as a major factor in the gender pay gap, with many women feeling forced to pick between their job and family. 

The charity Pregnant then Screwed found that 74,000 women a year worry about redundancy during pregnancy or maternity leave.

Some mums said they faced demotion, bullying or poor treatment on their return. 

Clare Radford, founder and CEO of & Culture Consultancy, said: “I set out with this report to show what most working mums, including myself, have experienced – that support when mums return to work is severely lacking, across all sectors.