I am a mum with 2 small people. One just turned 5 and started school for a few months in September, the other just turned 3.

There are many things that are amazing about being a mum, as we all know, but some bits which come as a bit of a shock. I am self employed, and everything was fine until we decided to move into a bigger house last year. Of course, they needed to have my accounts. Thankfully, I had a great accountant, but my maternity pay wasn’t taken into account – although I ‘presumed’ that this was to make up for my lost income? My previous accounts which I thankfully had, clearly showed that I was earning circa of £30k/year!

Then cue the pandemic. Not only have I lost a huge amount of money from not being able to trade the same way, but here come the maternity years again!! So I have gained a wonderful £600 per 3 months to survive on. Woohoo! I feel like society expects me to bow down with gratitude or stay quiet about how I have been treated. It is fine for a man to be able to work and not give up anything when they have children, and I never expected that I would have to – but that feeling of ‘having to’ comes in when your teeny baby needs mummy milk, or screams when you try to leave. Let’s face it, that small human NEEDS YOU and have known you for 9 months longer than dad. So it is natural to be needed and feel like you have to be there.

Society needs to be protecting mothers to be able to fulfill their job role as a mum. This is the next generation. Not only mothers, but through the pandemic is has shown that our country is ruled by mainly older men who do not have a clue what it is like to give up so much, or be expected to. Lockdown 1 was a perfect example when pubs were taken as priority for reopening.

This male driven society has to stop. It is not only degrading, but expecting mothers to be business women, look after the home, home school, offer extra curricular activities and end with good mental health is impossible.