Mothers are twice as likely as fathers to ask for flexible working after parental leave
- Mothers who work full-time are almost 3 x more likely than full-time dads to ask for flexible working
- Mothers with a household income of under £45k are twice as likely to have their flexible working request rejected than mothers with a higher household income
- 41% of single mothers request flexible working after they return to work
- Mothers with a disabled child are twice as likely to ask for flexible working than fathers
DATE: 6th April 2024: New research from Pregnant Then Screwed, in partnership with Women In Data®, has uncovered that mothers are twice as likely as fathers to ask for flexible working than dads after parental leave.
Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 35,800 parents. Women In Data® then extracted a nationally representative sample of 5,870 parents to create a 2024 State of the Nation report. This research comes as the new flexible working law comes into force. This law will enable employees to request flexible working from their first day of employment instead of week 26.
The data highlights the gender disparities in who needs flexible working to manage caring duties. It finds that mothers who are working full-time are 2.5 times more likely than full-time dads to request flexible working. A huge 41% of single mothers are asking for flexible working, and looking at parents of children with a disability, mothers are twice as likely to ask for flexible working than fathers.
However, asking doesn’t always get – 2 in 5 mothers say their flexible working request was turned down.
Joeli Brearley, CEO and Founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, comments, “Mothers are more likely to shoulder the lion’s-share of the unpaid labour required to care for children and manage a household. As a result, they are more likely to need flexible working. Just 3 in 10 job adverts offer flexibility limiting the progression opportunities and earning potential of mothers. Then we wonder why the gender pay gap widens when couples have children and continues to widen further over the subsequent decades.’’
In fact, recent analysis of ONS data from Pregnant Then Screwed found that mums earn 43% less per week than dads – with a pay gap that has grown by 93p per hour since 2020.
The new Employment Rights (Flexible working) Act 2023 will enable people to ask for flexible working from their first day in the role. Employees will also be able to make two requests in any twelve-month period rather than the current one request. In addition, employers will be required to make a decision on the request within two months of receiving it. Currently, you have three months. This is something Pregnant Then Screwed feels does not go far enough.
Joeli Brearley, CEO and founder, continues, “Whilst all progress in this space should be celebrated, this law doesn’t go far enough. A right to request is still a right to decline and as we can see from our data, 2 in 5 flexible working requests are rejected. This law also means someone has to leave their current job before they can ask their new employer if the hours will work alongside their personal obligations. We campaigned hard for this law to take effect from the point of job offer, rather than the first day of the job, but this campaign was rejected without a clear explanation why.’’
‘’The fact that mothers are two times more likely to ask for flexible working inadvertently tells us that mothers are more likely to shape their careers around childcare. Until we have a more equitable parental leave system this will continue to be the case.”
ENDS
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About Pregnant Then Screwed:
Pregnant Then Screwed is a charity that seeks to protect, support and promote the rights of pregnant women and mothers. We carry out extensive research into the effects of systemic cultural and institutional discrimination during pregnancy and motherhood. Our support services include: a free employment rights helpline, a free benefits advice clinic, a free mental health support line, pro bono legal advice and a tribunal mentor scheme that supports women who are considering legal action against their employer. We campaign for changes that will end the motherhood penalty and we support working mums to rebuild their confidence and find work that works for them.
About the research:
Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 35,800 parents. Women In Data® then extracted a nationally representative sample of 5,870 parents to create a 2024 State of the Nation report.
