A new survey has revealed the main factor behind new mums returning to work is financial considerations and worries about debt problems.
The report, by price comparison site uSwitch, showed that 52% of mothers return to work because they cannot afford to stay home with their children because of the reduced financial support.
Only 22% of new mothers said that they wanted to return to work so that they could further their careers.
Money worries were top of the list for returning to work with every one in ten new mums being forced to consider going back to work because of financial pressures, when they had previously planned not to. A further 9% were forced to return to work earlier than expected because of financial pressures.
The report highlighted the average losses to a household with the net monthly income being reduced by a third during maternity leave, dropping down to a typical £2,266 a month.
The uSwitch survey said that many families were not prepared for the financial implications of running a household on a reduced income and highlighted the fact that two fifths of new mums ended up with debt problems whilst they took maternity leave, acquiring an average debt of £1,329. Only 9% of those surveyed said that their partner’s wage alone was enough to support their family financially.
Prospective parents save £3,265 on average before having a baby, but 29% only manage to save less than £1,000. An average of £4,673 is spent by parents before the birth and in the run up to a mother’s return to work.
Ann Robinson, of uSwitch, said: Ann Robinson, consumer policy director at uSwitch.com, said: "Despite women being told that they can 'have it all' and can choose whether to be a working or stay-at-home mum, the fact is that most have this choice stripped away from them by the financial realities of modern life. The high cost of living, coupled with the often crippling cost of a mortgage means that many households today need two incomes to get by.
"Unfortunately, new mothers are often paying the price for this by seeing their choices taken away."
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