Women who become mothers before the age of 33 earn 15 per cent less than similar women who haven’t had children, according to new analysis published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on International Women’s Day today (8 March).
The analysis was carried out for the TUC by the the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). They compared the wages of women and men in the 1970 Birth Cohort Study which covers 17,000 people. They compared the weekly earnings of those in full-time work at age 42 who had become parents with those who had not had children. They compared the wages of mothers and childless women who had similar levels of education and in similar jobs. The analysis will form part of a larger report published next month.
The pay penalty for younger mothers comes about as they are more likely to have had a significant period out of work or working part-time, before returning to full-time work when their children are older.
Younger mothers are also more likely to experience poor treatment in the workplace – and that affects their earnings. A fifth of mothers under the age of 25 said they were dismissed or were treated so badly that they were forced out of their jobs because of pregnancy or maternity leave, compared to one in 10 mothers overall.
In contrast, older mothers who work full-time get a wage bonus of 12 per cent compared to full-time women workers without children. Many older mothers are higher earners and more senior in their workplaces, so benefit from better entitlements and are more able to afford full-time childcare enabling them to work full-time.
All mothers should be supported and treated fairly in the workplace, regardless of the age at which they have their children, their seniority in the workplace or whether they work full or part-time, says the TUC.
To address the motherhood pay penalty, the TUC wants:
· support for more equal parenting roles to stop women being held back at work – shared parental leave is a start but take-up is likely to be low and better paid, fathers-only (rather than shared) leave is needed
· more 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
· more better-paid jobs to be available at reduced hours or as flexible working, to prevent women getting stuck in low-paid, part-time work after having children
· more to be done to ensure all women are supported in the workplace and do not experience discrimination linked to pregnancy and childbirth – new mothers should not have to pay tribunal fees of £1,200 and they should be given longer than three months to pursue a tribunal claim.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This research shows that millions of mothers still suffer the motherhood pay penalty.
“We need to do far more to support all working mums, starting by increasing the number of quality part-time jobs and making childcare much more affordable.
“Women in full-time, well-paid jobs shouldn’t be the only ones able to both become parents and see their careers progress. All women worried about their pay and conditions should join a union to get their voices heard and their interests represented.”
* Read the Equality and Human Rights Commission study on pregnancy discrimination here
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