Pregnant women feel unsafe at work despite legal protection
Pregnant women and new mothers working across public services are regularly exposed to health risks, bullying and violence at work because employers ignore laws or are unaware of staff rights, says UNISON today (Friday). Research carried out by the union and charity Maternity Action has exposed what they say is a worrying gap between maternity rights in law and women’s real-life experiences […]
UK Women in the Workplace 2026
The Visibility Penalty: Motherhood, Promotion and Progress in the Age of AI This International Women’s Day sees HiBob’s fifth annual Women in the Workplace report reveal a stark reality: despite a global push for gender equality, motherhood remains a significant career anchor in the UK. Our 2026 research, surveying 2,000 professionals (52% female, 48% male) […]
Mothers face 42 per cent drop in earnings after first child, ONS finds
Campaigners warn of a ‘financial freefall’ and call for urgent policy reform as figures show impact worsens with subsequent births Mothers face a ‘substantial and long-lasting’ reduction in earnings when they have a child, analysis from the Office for National Statistics has highlighted. The study found mothers in the UK earned on average £1,051 less per month […]
The motherhood penalty is a workforce risk HR can’t afford to ignore
In our work with thousands of women across the UK through our leadership and development programmes, we see the motherhood penalty play out in real time. Women do not arrive lacking ambition or capability. They arrive having lost confidence, visibility or momentum after becoming mothers. Many describe returning from maternity leave to roles that feel diminished, […]
Lack of support drives a quarter of returning parents to quit jobs
Some 87% of parents find returning to work after having a baby challenging, and 73% report lacking the necessary support, according to a survey released today (26 August) by Growth Spurt, a return-to-work support programme. The survey, including 5,329 parents who returned to work within the last three years, found that one in four parents (26%) who […]