New mums ‘skipping meals or returning to work early’ on account of stingy maternity pay

Mothers are going again to work early, skipping meals or slicing again on heating on account of stingy maternity pay, ministers have been warned.

A survey for Unison by Maternity Action discovered girls had been making “drastic” selections as they can not afford to dwell on the present statutory quantity. Women are at present entitled to 6 weeks of statutory maternity pay at 90% of their full pay after giving beginning. This then drops to £172.48 every week for 33 weeks or to 90% of their common weekly earnings – whichever is decrease.

The Government was urged to double maternity pay to £364.70, which might give moms the equal of the nationwide minimal wage of £10.42 an hour. The name comes as a survey of 1,400 moms discovered greater than half (58%) returned to work earlier than they had been prepared on account of monetary pressures – and a few had lower their go away to as little as six months.

1 / 4 (25%) of ladies on maternity go away mentioned they’ve gone with out consuming – generally all day – to allow them to afford to feed their households. Nearly half (49%) of the ladies mentioned they had been shopping for less-healthy meals to lower your expenses, greater than a 3rd (35%) had been skipping meals or having smaller parts and one in 20 (5%) mentioned they often did not eat all day. Some described consuming their kids’s leftovers or brushing their enamel to suppress starvation pangs.

More than seven in ten (71%) girls mentioned they anxious ‘a lot’ about cash throughout their being pregnant or maternity go away. Some 70% turned down their thermostat and 55% shut off the heating in some rooms to save cash – resulting in issues with damp and mildew for some.

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea mentioned: “No mother should have to go without food or skip meals but the failure of maternity pay to keep up with increasing living costs is driving many pregnant workers and new mothers into severe financial hardship.

“The Government is successfully forcing many ladies to decide on between work and household. They should increase maternity go away pay to make sure nobody is penalised for having a child.”

Maternity Action director Ros Bragg said: “Mothers should not be compelled to chop quick their maternity go away as a result of they can not make ends meet. This is a vital time for ladies to get well from the beginning and bond with their child.

“Women should be reducing their stress levels during pregnancy and their child’s first year, not worrying about how to pay for essentials. Stress during pregnancy puts women at increased risk of post-natal depression and other mental health conditions. The Government should be supporting pregnant women and new mothers to live healthy lives, not leaving them struggling to keep their house warm and eat a balanced diet.”

A Government spokesperson mentioned:“We want new mothers to be able to take time away from work to protect their health and wellbeing and that of their child. That is why we increased Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance by over 10% last year and will raise it again by 6.7% from April.

“In addition, parents who are ready to return to work will benefit from the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever and we’re supporting those who are struggling with record financial support worth around £3,700 per household.”

‘For monetary causes, I do not know if I need to have one other child’

Karlene Douglas, 30 from Dundee, Scotland, solely went on maternity go away two days earlier than her daughter Zelda was born in May 2022. She had been working as a instructor and group outreach coordinator in a secondary college, in addition to taking up shifts in a residential dwelling for youngsters in care.

After three months on full pay of £2,600 after tax, Karlene dropped all the way down to £630 a month statutory maternity pay which left her 1000’s of kilos worse off every month. She tried to work part-time on a contract foundation and he or she may work for as much as 10 days for her employer however the household financial savings had been rapidly used up.

In February 2023, she went again to work – a month earlier then she had meant. Now, she is again full time as a contemporary research instructor and Zelda goes to a childminder 5 days every week which is cheaper than a nursery.

Karlene mentioned: “It was embarrassing going back to work early. Everyone was like ‘oh, you’re back already’. For financial reasons, I don’t know if want to have another baby.

“We’ve rented out the spare room but even then the stress over money is constant and has affected my mental health. When I’m feeding Zelda at night I’m checking my bank account to see what direct debits have gone out. Then I can’t get back to sleep for worry.”