I’d lose money by going back to my job after having kids – work no is no longer working for mums
LAUREN DIXON worked hard to build her successful career as a sales manager.
But she now faces having to give it all up because her childcare costs are more than DOUBLE her mortgage.
Lauren, lives in Catford, South London, with husband, Rupert, 39, a project manager, and their three children — Max, three, and nine-month old twins Freddie and Oliver.
She says: “Five days a week at nursery for the twins alone is £2,600 a month.
“Our mortgage is £1,250 a month.
“It just doesn’t stack up.
“Our parents don’t live close enough to help regularly, so my take home pay would be just short of covering full-time childcare for two kids.
“I’d be losing money by going to work.”
But Lauren is not alone.
Soaring childcare bills and the cost-of- living crisis mean jobs simply do not pay enough for many mothers to afford to go back to work.
She would need to earn a minimum of £40,000 — £7,000 more than the average UK full-time salary — just to pay for nursery for her two youngest children.
It would leave her with nothing left for her mortgage, living costs or care of her other child.
Lauren, 40, who spent 20 years building her career, adds: “It feels like work is no longer working for mums.
“The pandemic has moved forward flexible working and employers are offering alternatives, but that doesn’t solve the problem if mums can’t afford childcare.”
For the first time in decades, the Office for National Statistics has found the number of women leaving the workforce to look after family has increased.
The figure is up 12.6 per cent for 25 to 34-year-olds in the past year.
A further 1.7million mums say they work fewer hours than they would like because they cannot afford childcare, according to the Centre for Progressive Policy.
A report out last week from the Resolution Foundation found that next week’s Budget should focus on getting mums, rather than older people, back into jobs to help with workforce issues following the pandemic.
The independent think tank said reforming childcare is key, ensuring it benefits lower-income families.
Yesterday a report by accountancy firm PwC confirmed that women are being priced out of work by the soaring cost of childcare.
Until changes happen, returning to a pre-child role simply isn’t feasible and that means falling behind on the career ladder.
Lauren says: “To put three children into nursery five days a week, I’d need to be earning upwards of £85,000. So what can I do?
“I want to work but whatever I earn will be wiped out by my childcare costs.
“For a period of time, my career is on hold.
“But I want to work for my mental health and wellbeing.”
Nora Jorba, 31, is in a similar situation.
The mum of one has £50 a month left from her £19,000 salary after paying £1,430 for nursery fees for two-year-old daughter Elna.
It means she and husband Aubin, 32, a graphic designer, have had to put on hold their dreams of having another child and buying a house, even after relocating from London to Norwich to save money.
The theatre assistant says: “Despite both of us working full-time, we are struggling to make ends meet.
“I am constantly doing the maths and feeling very stressed.
“We have no safety net.
“We get £300 a month Universal Credit but it doesn’t cover much.”
Susanne Neiss, from Orpington, Kent, says paying for childcare for her three kids — Isabel, four, and three-year-old twins Fiona and Hannes — was so “financially crippling” she quit her job in sales.
The 43-year-old, who is married to Ned, 42, an IT consultant, adds: “Once the twins turned two, I started a business making cakes in the evening, when they were in bed.
“Being self-employed is the only way I can make it work.”
And for many mums, the problems continue when children are school age.
Tobi Asare, author of The Blend: How To Successfully Manage A Career And A Family, says: “Most nurseries cover care from 8am or earlier until the end of the working day, but school days are much shorter.
“You have to rely on wraparound care like relatives or childminders and after-school clubs — if you have those options available.
“I’ve been known to set alarms on my phone to try and secure a place.”
Children’s charity Coram found that the average family spent £2,537 a year on after-school clubs in 2022 — an £800 rise since 2010.
Untapped talent
“It just adds to the difficulties working parents face,” says Tobi.
Jane Johnson, founder of Careering Into Motherhood, believes things should be made easier for mums returning to work.
The organisation’s recent Life As A Working Mother report found that two-thirds of mums had equal or higher levels of ambition than before kids.
Yet half also felt their prospects of promotion had suffered due to asking for flexible working.
And 65 per cent believed there have been fewer career opportunities available to them since becoming a mum.
But mum-of-one Jane — who was the first employee at bank HSBC to negotiate a global director role as a job share — thinks women with kids should have the same opportunities as men.
She says: “The pandemic highlighted that the system is broken and employers have vacancies to fill.
“Mums have a golden opportunity to negotiate on their terms.
“There is untapped talent in this group of women and we need to be more inclusive.”
Jane suggests that mums should look at alternative working and flexible structures, which might fit better with their families, and “selling” them to a current or prospective employer.
She says: “Hybrid and home working are options, along with flexible hours, providing you don’t end up doing more for less.
“I’m a massive fan of job sharing.
“You get two brains for the price of one.
“Plus, the employer will never have that job role uncovered for two weeks while someone is off sick or on holiday.
“But line managers can be worried, so suggest a trial period.”
Jane recommends using free CV and skills workshops online to refresh confidence, such as the ones by Careering Into Motherhood, and not being afraid to mention you have taken time out to raise a family.
She adds: “When women win, we all win.”