New mums 'skipping meals or returning to work early' due to stingy maternity pay
Mothers are going back to work early, skipping meals or cutting back on heating due to stingy maternity pay, ministers have been warned.
A survey for Unison by Maternity Action found women were making "drastic" choices as they can't afford to live on the current statutory amount. Women are currently entitled to six weeks of statutory maternity pay at 90% of their full pay after giving birth. This then drops to £172.48 a week for 33 weeks or to 90% of their average weekly earnings – whichever is lower.
The Government was urged to double maternity pay to £364.70, which would give mothers the equivalent of the national minimum wage of £10.42 an hour. The call comes as a survey of 1,400 mothers found more than half (58%) returned to work before they were ready due to financial pressures - and some had cut their leave to as little as six months.
A quarter (25%) of women on maternity leave said they have gone without eating – sometimes all day – so they can afford to feed their families. Nearly half (49%) of the women said they were buying less-healthy food to save money, more than a third (35%) were skipping meals or having smaller portions and one in 20 (5%) said they occasionally didn't eat all day. Some described eating their children's leftovers or brushing their teeth to suppress hunger pangs.
More than seven in ten (71%) women said they worried ‘a lot’ about money during their pregnancy or maternity leave. Some 70% turned down their thermostat and 55% shut off the heating in some rooms to save money - leading to problems with damp and mould for some.
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Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: "No mother should have to go without food or skip meals but the failure of maternity pay to keep up with increasing living costs is driving many pregnant workers and new mothers into severe financial hardship.
"The Government is effectively forcing many women to choose between work and family. They must raise maternity leave pay to ensure no one is penalised for having a baby."
Maternity Action director Ros Bragg said: "Mothers shouldn't be forced to cut short their maternity leave because they can't make ends meet. This is an important time for women to recover from the birth and bond with their baby.
"Women should be reducing their stress levels during pregnancy and their child's first year, not worrying about how to pay for essentials. Stress during pregnancy puts women at increased risk of post-natal depression and other mental health conditions. The Government should be supporting pregnant women and new mothers to live healthy lives, not leaving them struggling to keep their house warm and eat a balanced diet."
A Government spokesperson said:“We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work to protect their health and wellbeing and that of their child. That is why we increased Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance by over 10% last year and will raise it again by 6.7% from April.
“In addition, parents who are ready to return to work will benefit from the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever and we’re supporting those who are struggling with record financial support worth around £3,700 per household.”
'For financial reasons, I don't know if I want to have another baby'
Karlene Douglas, from Dundee, had to go back to work a month earlier than expected after having her baby ZeldaKarlene Douglas, 30 from Dundee, Scotland, only went on maternity leave two days before her daughter Zelda was born in May 2022. She had been working as a teacher and community outreach coordinator in a secondary school, as well as taking on shifts in a residential home for children in care.
After three months on full pay of £2,600 after tax, Karlene dropped down to £630 a month statutory maternity pay which left her thousands of pounds worse off each month. She tried to work part-time on a freelance basis and she could work for up to 10 days for her employer but the family savings were quickly used up.
In February 2023, she went back to work - a month earlier then she had intended. Now, she is back full time as a modern studies teacher and Zelda goes to a childminder 5 days a week which is cheaper than a nursery.
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Karlene said: “It was embarrassing going back to work early. Everyone was like ‘oh, you’re back already’. For financial reasons, I don’t know if want to have another baby.
“We’ve rented out the spare room but even then the stress over money is constant and has affected my mental health. When I’m feeding Zelda at night I’m checking my bank account to see what direct debits have gone out. Then I can’t get back to sleep for worry.”
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