State of The Nation 2023

Introduction

Pregnant Then Screwed has been conducting qualitative and quantitative research with UK mothers since 2015. In this time we have built a community of over 400,000 parents and we deliver support to almost 10,000 mothers a year who are experiencing discrimination and disadvantage. In 2023 we launched our inaugural State of The Nation survey in order to monitor year on year changes in trends that impact upon the motherhood penalty.

Pregnant Then Screwed aim to use these unique insights to offer policy makers tangible solutions to reduce the motherhood penalty and improve the outcomes for families and the economy.

About This Research

Pregnant Then Screwed partnered with Women in Data® to design the State of The Nation survey with full analysis delivered by a team of volunteers from Women in Data®.

A sample of 3540 was randomly selected from a pool of 24,193 respondents to the survey.

The sample was targeting national representation and was nationally representative on gender, region and social grade.

Project Lead from Women in Data®, Taisiya Merkulova had this to say about why they volunteered to work on the State of The Nation analysis

“Women In Data® has been working and will continue to work to ensure gender parity across all levels within the organizations. And we will not be able to accomplish that as long as something as fundamental as parental leave and childcare allow anyone, regardless of their stage in life, to make the choice without sacrifice. Supporting Pregnant Then Screwed in establishing the State of The Nation baseline is a step in holding everyone accountable to making a meaningful difference for the better future.”

Key Childcare Findings

– 1 in 4 (26.15%) parents say that the cost of childcare is more than 75% of their take-home pay.

– 1 in 10 (11%) parents now say that childcare costs are the same or more than their take-home pay.

– 1 in 5 (22.19%) parents say that the cost of childcare is more than half of their household pay.

– 1 in 3 (32.39%) parents who use formal childcare say they had to rely on some form of debt to cover childcare costs.

– 4 in 10 (45%) parents who use childcare said they often find themselves choosing between paying for childcare and household essentials.

– 3 in 4 (76%) mothers who pay for childcare say that it doesn’t make financial sense for them to go to work (this is 67% for all parents using childcare with a child under 5).

– Almost 9 in 10 (88%) families with a child under 16 and 95.76% of families with a child under 3 said they are likely to vote for the political party with the best childcare pledge at the next election.

– 98% of women using childcare think that the Government is not doing enough to support parents with children.

To see how Pregnant Then Screwed used this research in 2023 please click here

Key Workplace Discrimination Findings

– 1 in 2 (52%) mothers say they faced some form of discrimination when pregnant, on maternity leave or when they returned

– 7% of women lost their job through redundancy, sacking, or feeling forced to leave due to a flexible working request being declined or due to health and safety issues.

– 1 in 10 (10%) women were bullied or harassed when pregnant or when returning to work

– Almost 1 in 5 left (19%) mothers their employer due to negative experiences

– 9 in 10 (90%) women who were breastfeeding had to use a toilet or were not provided a suitable space.

– Almost 3 in 4 (73%) of women said a colleague made hurtful comments about their pregnancy or maternity leave

– Almost 3 in 4 (74%) of women said that someone insinuated that their performance had dipped due to pregnancy or maternity leave

– 1.62% of women said that their boss insinuated that they should end their pregnancy

– 3 in 5 (64%) said a boss or colleague made inappropriate comments about their looks when pregnant

– Almost 1 in 3 (29%) of respondents who had experienced pregnancy loss told their employer about their pregnancy loss. Of these women
– 1 in 4 (23%) who told their employer found that their employer was not supportive
– 1 in 5 (22%) experienced unfair treatment as a result of pregnancy loss

– 6% of partners faced unfair treatment as a result of pregnancy loss

– 4 in 10 (43%) women going through fertility treatment have told their employer

– Almost 1 in 4 (24%) of these women didn’t get any support from their employer

– Almost 1 in 4 (24%) of these women said they experienced unfair treatment at work as a result of undergoing fertility treatment.

To see how Pregnant Then Screwed used this research in 2023 please click here and here

Key Parental Leave Findings

– 1 in 5 (20%) fathers said that no parental leave options were available to them following the birth or adoption of their child.

– 2 in 5 (43%) fathers cited financial hardship as the primary reason for returning to work early.

– Almost 1 in 5 (17%) recent fathers who did not take either statutory or enhanced leave in full said that they were unable to stay the full length of parental leave because of pressure from their employers.

– 1 in 10 (13%) returned for fear of missing out on progression opportunities. This shows that workplace culture also plays a part in driving fathers back into work

– As household income increases, the availability of enhanced leave to men and their ability to take it in full increases dramatically; from 12% of men with a household income of £20-25k having access to and taking full advantage of enhanced leave compared to 51% of men with a household income of over £200k.

– 3 in 5 (63%) recent fathers said they did not feel mentally ready to return to work when they did compared to 53% of mothers

– A woman’s partner taking parental leave is associated with a 34% increase in the likelihood of a woman being physically ready to return to work.

– Recent mothers are much more likely to put in a flexible working request than men, with 72% of men not requesting flexible working when returning to work compared to 28% of women.

– 4 in 10 (40%) recent parents requested flexible working when they returned from parental leave with nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of those who requested it having their request denied completely and 1 in 4 (26%) having their request partially met.

– Those with household incomes lower than £35k were significantly more likely (30%) to have their flexible leave requests denied, while older parents (aged 35-44) were the most likely (60%) to have their request accepted in full

To see how Pregnant Then Screwed used this research in 2023 please click here and here

Takeaways

Lauren Fabianski, Head of Campaigns and Communications at Pregnant Then Screwed had this to say about the findings from the 2023 State of The Nation survey

“These stats clearly illustrate how mothers are being set up to fail, from navigating unaffordable childcare systems to experiences of widespread workplace discrimination and outdated parental leave entitlements. We have found ourselves in an era where women are repeatedly told they can have it all, for many the cost of living has removed the narrative of choice entirely and yet our rights, our infrastructure and our societal norms still place the onus of raising a child squarely on mother’s shoulders. If our next Government wants to set out a positive vision for the future, then true gender equality must be central to their campaigns. As we continue to hemorrhage talented and skilled women from the workplace, the question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in policies that allow families to thrive, it is whether we can afford not to.”

Introduction

About This Research

Key Childcare Findings

Key Workplace Discrimination Findings

Key Parental Leave Findings

Takeaways

News

Vacancy: Chief Executive Officer

Report: A New Era of Flexible Working

Pregnant Then Screwed’s 2023 Annual Report and Financial Statements