Press Story

Maternal breadwinning is the highest since records began, with over 2 million working mums now the main family earner, a rise of 80% in the last 15 years, according to a new report published next week by the think tank IPPR. 'Breadwinning' is defined in the report as working mothers earning as much as or more than their partner and single mums.

The report is published two weeks since the birth of the royal baby, the end of Prince William's statutory paternity leave. The report is part of a major IPPR project on the 'Condition of Britain'.

The report shows that maternal breadwinning has increased for all family types, for all age groups and across all income groups, over the last 15 years:

mothers in couples breadwinning has increased from 18% to 31%
co-habiting mothers breadwinning has doubled
the employment rate of lone mothers has increased from 43% to 58%
maternal breadwinning among 16-26 year-olds has increased from 11% to 18%
more than a third of mothers with a degree-level qualification are breadwinning, an increase from 29%
a quarter of mothers without degrees are now breadwinning, compared to less than 20%

The report shows that Scotland, Wales and the North of England rely most heavily on mums for family income. Scotland has the highest level of maternal breadwinning at 32%, with 31% in Wales, the North East and the North West. This is compared to just 26% in the East of England and South West and 27% in London and the South East. The report says that this is because of the decline of the manufacturing industry in the regions has led to more men out of work, 20% of men in the North East are currently inactive compared to 13% in the East of England. The UK's regions and nations also have a larger public sector workforce which proportionately employs more women than men.

The report says that white working mothers are more likely to be breadwinning than mothers from ethnic minority groups, although maternal breadwinning rates for both groups have increased in recent years. Almost 30% of white mothers are breadwinning compared to 27% of ethnic minority mothers. This reflects the employment rate, which is lower for ethnic minority groups and lower for ethnic minority women than for men (51% compared to 68%). The report shows considerable diversity between ethnic minority groups. Black women have a lower employment rate than black men (56% compared to 61%), but the gap is much wider within the Pakistani and Bangladeshi group, with only 29% of women employed compared to 69% of their male counterparts.

Dalia Ben-Galim, IPPR Associate Director, said:

"The balance between breadwinning and caring has changed; it can no longer be assumed that the dad is the primary breadwinner in a couple family. As women's employment outside the home rises, dual earner couples are more common. Most families need two earners simply to make ends meet, and increasingly women's earnings are a necessity. A rise in the employment rate of lone parents means that mothers in this position provide the sole income for their family.

"But despite more mothers than ever before now being the primary breadwinner for their families, many mums still face significant barriers to entering and remaining in work. These include a lack of flexible work opportunities, the high cost of childcare and parental leave entitlement focused on mothers. Whilst these challenges also affect working dads, they have a disproportionate affect on working mums, who are often still primary carers. Together with the gender pay gap, and in particular the motherhood pay penalty that takes hold when women have children, these barriers undermine the livelihood of many families."

Childcare costs more in the UK than in any other OECD country, increasing at more than double the rate of inflation in the last year. The report argues that universal childcare could better support working mothers and their families. IPPR analysis shows that universal childcare could also pay a net return to the exchequer in terms of tax revenue. For mothers returning full-time, the return could be £20,050 (over four years); and for those returning part-time, the additional income to the exchequer could be £4,860 (over 4 years). This income could be re-invested to deliver a more ambitious childcare agenda.

The report shows that families could be better supported by a more progressive parental leave system. This would not only provide mothers with a leave entitlement sufficient to protect her health and that of her baby, but also support a similar paid entitlement for fathers on a 'use it or lose it' basis. A third bloc of shared parental leave, also paid, could be split by parents in a way that works for them and their family. The Icelandic government recently passed legislation to transition to a system of five months maternity leave, five months paternity leave and two months parental leave for parents to decide how to use it by 2016. This is a long way from current provision in the UK; with a year-long maternity leave (paid at a relatively low rate compared to other countries) including a period of transferable leave (up to 6 months), making the father dependent on the mother's entitlement to leave which can be limited, and a separate two weeks paid paternity leave.

Notes to editors

IPPR's new report is available from: http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/11082/whos-breadwinning-working-mothers-and-the-new-face-of-family-support

For more on IPPR's Condition of Britain project, see: http://www.ippr.org/research-project/44/10307/the-condition-of-britain

IPPR's report - Making the case for universal childcare - is available from: http://ippr.org/publications/55/8382/making-the-case-for-universal-childcare

IPPR's report - Great expectations: Exploring the promises of gender equality - is available from: http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/10562/great-expectations-exploring-the-promises-of-gender-equality

IPPR's report - Family policy: Where next for parental leave and flexible working? - is available from:
http://www.ippr.org/publications/55/1822/family-policy-where-next-for-parental-leave-and-flexible-working

Contacts:

Richard Darlington, 07525 481 602, r.darlington@ippr.org

Tim Finch, 07595 920899, t.finch@ippr.org