Almost half of women (43%) are likely to return to work sooner than they would like after having their baby, according to a new NCT report. Of those, 47% said this is due to concerns over job security.
For some women, the return to work is taking place very quickly, with 4% of those surveyed saying they took less than two weeks maternity leave overall.
In addition, around 37% of women said they would not consider sharing parental leave with their partner. Of these, half (50%) said it was because they need the income generated by their partner’s pay.
“This report shows women are returning to work earlier than they would like to because of money worries or fears about job security,” commented Belinda Phipps NCT, CEO. “It also suggests that if the Government wants parents to make use of shared parental leave they will need to increase dads’ paternity pay.”
Other key statistics revealed by the survey include:
- 29% of women said they would be worried about job security if they took advantage of flexible working, and just 15% said they thought their job would be very secure.
- 70% of women surveyed said they would prefer flexible working over more parental leave as a way to spend more time with their children, if they were to have a/another child.
- Yet 59% of women said they were unaware that they were able to request flexible working from their employers.
- Women between 18 and 24 are more than twice as likely (7%) to take less than two weeks’ maternity leave than those aged 25 and over (3%).
- Younger women, aged 18-24, are the least likely to take more than 12 weeks of maternity leave – only 76%, compared to 85% of those aged 25 and over.
Contact our Solicitors
For specialist employment law advice, including advice on pregnancy and maternity rights, please contact our solicitors today. Call us on 0141 576 4808 or fill in the enquiry form to the right of this page.