Eight in 10 mothers forced back to work early by SMP 'cliff edge'

Eight out of 10 new mothers (82%) feel forced to go back to work earlier than they would like because they cannot afford to live off statutory maternity pay, a survey has warned.

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The online poll of 5,245 women for advocacy group Pregnant Then Screwed reported that, of those who did cut their maternity leave short, three-quarters experienced discrimination in the workplace on their return. The ‘State of the Nation 2026’ survey, in partnership with Women in Data, found 36% quit their job as a result.

Single parents, parents with lower incomes, disabled parents and parents of disabled children were most likely to return to work early, were more likely to leave the workforce altogether, and were discriminated against more often, it added.

More than half of parents with a disabled child (57%) left their job after experiencing discrimination. Almost half of disabled parents (46%) and single parents (46%) left their role because of discrimination, the poll found.

More than half (54%) of bullying cases and 60% of “sidelining” cases happened on return to work following maternity leave. Nearly one in 10 mothers said they switched employers after maternity leave, and one in 20 did not return at all.

One in five mothers who did not return said this was because a request for flexible working had not been accommodated, one in six because of facing discrimination or lack of support, and one in 10 because of unaffordable or unavailable childcare.

One of the most significant barriers was what Pregnant Then Screwed described as the 39-week statutory maternity pay (SMP) “cliff edge”.

SMP is paid at 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, followed by 33 weeks at either £194.32 or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. But after 39 weeks this drops to zero.

Pregnant Then Screwed argued this left those without enhanced pay are “forced to either suffer financially or return to work”.

Many returned even when not emotionally ready, as they could not 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,” it added.

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 six 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,” said Pregnant Then Screwed.

“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,” it added.

Salary was a further major factor in determining who got to stay home longer with their new child. “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,” said Pregnant Then Screwed.

Rachel Grocott, Pregnant Then Screwed CEO, said: “A failure to offer workable, practical maternity packages is short-sighted. 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.”