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New mums rushing back to work due to cost concerns

New mums rushing back to work due to cost concerns
Emma Lunn
Written By:
Posted:
11/10/2024
Updated:
15/10/2024

Four in 10 mothers took just 12 weeks or fewer in maternity leave as they couldn’t afford to take longer, according to Pregnant Then Screwed and Women in Data.

Research by the two organisations also found that the majority of mothers (76%) have had to rely on some form of debt or withdraw money from their savings as a result of low Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).

SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks. Women taking maternity pay get 90% of their average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first six weeks, then £184.03 or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks. SMP is paid in the same way as wages, with tax and National Insurance deducted.

Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch sparked outrage last month when she suggested maternity pay was “excessive”.

Pregnant Then Screwed calculated that SMP is just 43% of the National Living Wage, causing many families to experience financial hardship as a result of taking time out of work when they have given birth.

The campaign group is calling on the Government to increase the rate of SMP and Maternity Allowance (paid to self-employed workers) to the National Living Wage. This amount is widely regarded as the absolute minimum someone needs to live on.

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‘We should all be deeply concerned’

Various studies show that maternity leave of more than 12 weeks has huge benefits for a mother and her child. It decreases rates of maternal physical and mental health issues, decreases infant mortality and improves rates of breastfeeding.

Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “Maternity pay is an abomination. How is anyone meant to survive on £184 a week, which is less than half the minimum wage – the lowest amount someone can live on. The perinatal period is critically important to the health and wellbeing of a mother and her child, and I think we should all be deeply concerned that due to severe hardship, we are now seeing a degeneration and a degradation of this vital period. Ultimately, it is a false economy to not pay parental leave at a rate on which families can survive and thrive.

“We need a Government that will listen to parents, creating policies which ensure they can survive and thrive, particularly in those early days. Right now, we are falling way behind our European counterparts, and it is not only this generation [that] is suffering the consequences, but it will be the next.’’