The pandemic has had a huge impact on new parent’s wellbeing, 70% of new mothers reported experiencing mental health problems during or after pregnancy (2).  Sadly, though, most parents are suffering in silence as only a fifth seek medical support (3). The impact of perinatal mental illness is significant with 1 in 10 parents saying it had negatively impacted their work performance (3).

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The reality is that even before the pandemic sadly 9 in 10 Mothers face issues in returning to work after maternity leave. 1 in 5 find it necessary to leave their job altogether after having a baby (1).

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This directly impacts the female talent pipeline within businesses and reinforces the gender pay gap. You might be surprised to learn that by the time a woman's child is 12 years old she will earn on average 33% less per hour than her male counterparts or female counterparts without children... dubbed the Motherhood penalty!

 

That all sounds pretty bleak, yet It has been shown in multiple studies that businesses that have more women in leadership roles perform better financially. 

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Employers are therfore starting to recognise the importance of providing support to their valued employees through this life stage. 

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