Financial stress forcing new mums back to work before they’re ready
SHOCK figures reveal half of mothers return to work earlier than they would like because they need money to make ends meet.
NSW
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FINANCIAL stress is hitting new families so hard that one in five mums cannot afford to take maternity leave anymore.
Shock figures reveal half of mothers return to work earlier than they would like because they need money to make ends meet.
More than a third are going without vital medication too because of the expense.
The revelations from a study of more than 1000 parents comes as the proportion of women in the workforce hits a high of 60.4 per cent.
CommSec senior economist Ryan Felsman said many couples were already struggling to cope with stagnant wages before a baby is added to the mix.
“I think the key issue around household budgets is the lack of wages growth. We’ve got anaemic wages growth,” Mr Felsman said.
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The Huggies Baby Index report found 21 per cent of working mums couldn’t afford to take maternity leave when they had their youngest child. About a quarter went into, or increased, debt after having a baby.
Experts also fear mums returning to work early are being forced to quit breastfeeding prematurely.
Dr Karen Mattock from Western Sydney University’s school of psychology said cash-strapped mums pushed into returning to work often had to quit breastfeeding.
“They’re facing double the stress really because they may choose to breastfeed and to do so as long as possible but then they’re forced to give that up because of the need to meet daily living cost requirements and the need to return to work,” Dr Mattock said.
“The more breastfeeding friendly an employer can make their workplace the more likely women are going to continue with breastfeeding once they return to work.”
Royal Australasian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists spokeswoman Philippa Costley decided to return to work 10 weeks after having her second baby. But she said it was “disappointing” for other mums forced to return early “because it is obviously a special time while their children are young”.
“I think there is still a lot of pressure on women in the workplace. Despite many workplaces trying to support mothers, many women face issues of inequality,’’ she said.
“There’s still more pressure on women than men to try and manage motherhood and returning to work.
“You never hear someone referred to as a working father.”
Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine president Dr Peter Connaughton negotiates working arrangements for new mums.
He said there was certainly “room for improvement” in terms of employers understanding their needs.
“They need to be more flexible, more understanding and to look at the evidence that happier workers are healthier and more effective,” Dr Connaughton said.
Fair go for families
North Bondi mum Sally Zoghi, 33, said the cost of having her baby Orlando was more expensive than she expected.
“I can fully understand anybody in a position where there was only a single income coming in or had more than one child would be under financial pressure,” she said.
“There are all these other additional things thrown in your face ... as a first-time mum you don’t know what you actually have to buy.”