Employment options for new mothers
New mothers are reluctant to return to work after having a child, with new statistics revealing that 28 per cent did not go back to their previous employer and only 6% felt the desire to start their own business (6%).
The research comes from a brand new study conducted on behalf of Diddi Dance, a pre-school dance company. It has highlighted that mothers are often faced with the tough decision of whether to return to employment – 12 per cent of mothers said that their career was restricted after having a child/children, and a third (34%) did not want to spend time away from their child/children.
Concerns of mothers about returning to work are flexibility, which is vital with the very spontaneous nature of parenting (17%), and location, as travelling up to two hours a day is not a feasible option for some parents.
This being said the research showed there were also aspects that mothers were not concerned about, as of those who returned to work only 8 per cent felt they were treated differently, and even less (6%) felt they were not treated fairly by their employer.
Anne-Marie Martin is a Diddi Dance franchise owner and mother of 2 young children - she explained the troubles of mothers like herself who she speaks with on a daily basis:
“There are so many factors when thinking about returning to work practically, but also emotionally. Childcare is one of these issues, as it’s not only very expensive, but the waiting lists tend to be quite long. In addition, not all providers are flexible with long or antisocial working hours. Commuting long distances means the time away from your child/ren can build up. It also makes you think about whether you should be leaving them for long periods of time from such young ages. Needs must though and returning to work is sometimes not an option a lot of parents are able to turn down.”
She went on to tell us what possible options there are for mothers that may not have been considered.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware of franchising as an option. Parents usually return to their previous job, full or part time, and don’t think about exploring other options. Starting a brand new business from scratch can be a very daunting prospect and not everyone has a business idea tucked away! Researching a proven business with plenty of support and advice is a safe way of setting something up that can fit into your lifestyle. Maybe an old passion you had disregarded can now be an option and create a good income too!”
Franchises are another option that mothers have not considered according to the research, only 1.45 per cent despite hundreds of mothers across the UK taking this route and managing their work balance life.