Single mums, those on low income and parents with disabled children are hardest hit as discrimination and poor maternity pay force tens of thousands of women out of the workplace every year.
Women are continuing to pay a high price for having children, as 8 in 10 mums who go back to work early say they had to because they couldn’t afford their full statutory maternity leave entitlement.
Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation survey 2026, in partnership with Women in Data, has revealed that 82% of mums who cut their maternity leave short do so because they can’t make it work financially. Of those who do return, three-quarters experience discrimination. These impacts are not felt equally: single parents, parents with lower incomes, disabled parents and parents of disabled children were the groups most likely to return to work earlier, were more likely to leave the workforce altogether and were discriminated against more often.
One of the significant barriers for many is the 39-week Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) cliff. SMP drops to zero, leaving those without enhanced pay forced to either suffer financially or return to work. Many return even when not emotionally ready, as they can’t afford to stay on leave. Half of all mums feel emotionally and mentally unprepared to return to work, a figure that rises to almost 70% for disabled parents.
Enhanced maternity leave remains unevenly distributed, with those on lower incomes less likely to receive the support needed to stay at home longer. More than 6 in 10 employers now offer enhanced maternity pay, yet while 71% of mums with higher incomes receive it, just 53% of mums on lower incomes do so. Higher earners are also 2.6 times more likely to have partners with enhanced parental leave. Only 51% of mothers caring for disabled children receive enhanced maternity pay, compared with 64% nationally.
Salary is a major factor in who gets to stay home longer. Nearly 60% of higher income mums stay on leave beyond 39 weeks, compared with around half of lower income mums. For single parents, the barrier is even sharper: just 38% are able to remain on leave past 39 weeks.
Mums in vulnerable groups are also leaving their jobs more often. Every year, 36,000 mothers are pushed out of the workforce following maternity leave, for specific reasons relating to maternity, either because they do not return after leave, or because they leave after a failed or inadequate flexible working outcome. Mums on lower incomes are 2.5 times more likely to leave the workforce. Almost one 1 in 5 single mums and 16% of mums caring for disabled children said they didn’t return to work following maternity leave.
Rachel Grocott, CEO at Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “This new data reinforces what we hear on our Advice Line and through our campaigning work every single day: that our current systems around maternity leave and pay just don’t give sufficient support to mothers. We are forcing women to return to work before they are physically or emotionally ready, rather than having sufficient space and time to recover from birth, spend time with their baby (or babies), and return on their own terms – not those dictated by a system that isn’t fit-for-purpose. A failure to offer workable, practical maternity packages is shortsighted. This costs the UK a conservative estimate of £1.5bn* per year, as well as severely impacting mothers and their families. Improving maternity support doesn’t just make sense for women; it makes sense for everyone.”
The survey also revealed pregnancy and maternity discrimination remains widespread, with nearly three-quarters of mums reporting they’ve faced discrimination linked to their pregnancy or maternity leave. More than 1 in 3 (36%) of mums have quit their job as a result. Sadly, less than 1 in 30 mums who experience discrimination say they took legal action.
Pregnancy and maternity discrimination also affects parents of disabled children more, with over half of parents with a disabled child leaving their job after experiencing discrimination (57%). Almost half of disabled parents (46%) and single parents (46%) left their role due to discrimination.
Grocott added: “Pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination continues to be the reality for far too many women. This results in highly competent and skilled women reducing their hours or leaving the workforce entirely – a huge loss for individual careers, as well as for the economy and society as a whole. Even where legal protections exist, we’re seeing workplaces treat women poorly – with many too worried about repercussions, or simply unable to take on another fight at a vulnerable time in their lives, to fight back. But they have told us their stories, loud and clear, in this data, and we now need to take action – to ensure businesses are held accountable, and to provide genuine protection to mothers in the workplace.”
Returning to work was pinpointed as the riskiest time for women, as it was often when discrimination took place. Over half (54%) of bullying cases and 60% of sidelining reported happened on the return to work,showing that things often escalate following maternity leave. Nearly 1 in 10 mothers switch employers after maternity leave, and 1 in 20 don’t return at all. 1 in 5 mothers who don’t return say flexible working wasn’t accommodated; 1 in 6 face discrimination or lack of support, and 1 in 10 are forced out by unaffordable or unavailable childcare.
Roisin McCarthy, Founder, Women In Data offered: “The data shows that the current system is failing those with the least room to manoeuvre. We see clear evidence of systemic inequality: discrimination is widespread, with mothers on lower incomes far more likely to be treated unfairly than higher-income earners, and those with the least financial room, single parents and disabled parents, disproportionately denied the flexibility that keeps women in work. Employers and policymakers must act on this data. Without equitable access to flexibility, we will continue to lose talent and deepen inequality.”
You can read the full report here.
