The [Single] Motherhood Penalty: 2 in 3 working-mothers claim their promotions have been blocked

Workplaces across the country aren’t providing working mothers with the support packages, pay-rises and promotions they need – according to a new survey of 6,000 UK professionals.

The survey from specialist recruitment firm Robert Walters found that the odds are truly stacked against working mothers – both those that living with their partners and those living alone/without a partner.

Progression stalled

Almost two thirds of working mothers (56%) are yet to receive a promotion from their current employer, despite the fact they felt they’d earned it – a 14% difference compared to working fathers who have said the same.

In fact over a quarter of working mothers (27%) state that they aren’t at all aware of the route to a promotion – 10% more than their male counterparts. A fifth of working mothers (18%) state that they could do with more support from management to understand how to get a promotion.

Pay falling short

When it comes to pay, we see a similar story – just under a quarter of working mothers in white-collar roles earn £42k+ compared to 53% of working fathers who earn this or above.

The difference is even more pronounced when you move further up the pay bracket – with just 6% of working mothers earning £75k or above vs 21% of working fathers who take home this level of pay.

Cost of living inequality

The difficulties continue at home with just 10% of single* mothers state they are able to ‘live comfortably’ on their salary – with almost a quarter (22%) relying on additional income streams such as credit cards, pay day loans, or side hustles. This figure is twice as much as single fathers, and three times as much as co-habiting parents.

Meanwhile, fathers who cohabit with their partner reported feeling the least impacted by cost of living – 35% stated they live comfortably with a disposable income (vs 28% of single fathers and 23% of cohabiting mothers who said the same).

Coral Bamgboye – Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Robert Walters comments: “The data highlights how working mothers are not only losing out on guidance and support for promotions, but they are also finding it significantly harder to reach the higher echelons of pay, which still seem to be dominated by men.

“This is having knock-on effects to how comfortably they can live day-to-day – hitting single mothers especially hard, with almost a quarter having to rely on credit cards and payday loans to get by.”

Inadequate support from employers

The survey also drew a stark line under the lack of support working mothers receive from their employers – with 36% stating that balancing work with personal commitments is a key roadblock to work.

As well as a lack of support, 1 in 5 single mothers report experiencing active discrimination against their personal circumstance in the office, almost double the number that was reported by single fathers.

Confidence dwindling

All of these factors contribute to an overall lack of confidence – 27% of working mothers claim they lack the confidence to highlight their own wins.

The lack of confidence in women at work appears to have a direct correlation with the success rate of negotiating pay – with 19% of single working mothers reporting that they haven’t received a pay rise after negotiation, compared to just 5% of single fathers who said the same.

Coral adds: “In some parts we have managed to shift the dial on the experiences for women in the workplace and progress has and continues to be made. However what is concerning is this small cohort within this group – the working mother – who’s experiences are largely going unrecognised. Working mothers feel they are stuck when it comes to progression, pay and support from employers – and more needs to be done to address this, particularly in this cost-of-living crisis.

Coral’s Top Tips:

Organise more inclusive conversations from senior figures around career progression and pay-rise opportunities
Offer adaptable flexible working options such as late starts or early finishes to coincide with school times
Childcare support options to allow working parents more time to focus on important projects