Back to work for cash poor mums
Mothers are being forced back to work because they are running out of money, a survey has revealed.
Financial pressures and debt are the main reasons for women going back to work, with 52% of those surveyed as part of a study by EasyInsites saying they had to return to work to keep money coming in.
Only 9% of women said their husbands or partners make enough money for them not to have to return to work.
Resuming a career was lower on the priority list for mothers, with only 22% saying they wanted to return to their old jobs to pick up where they left off when they were able to do so.
The financial pressures on new families were exposed by the survey which found that average income fell by a third while the woman was on statutory maternity pay, with average monthly income dropping from £3,431 to £2,266.
Only a quarter of mothers said they managed to save enough before they went on maternity leave to enable them to manage on a reduced income, with parents-to-be saving an average of £3,265 to help cover the cost of having a baby.
However, nearly a third (29%) save less than £1,000.
More than a quarter of new mothers said going on maternity leave had had a far greater impact on their finances than they thought it would, and 41% ended up in debt while they were not working, owing an average of £1,329 each.
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