Working parents still suffering from attitudes of UK employers

The pressures that come from trying to combine raising children with

working mean that most women still compromise in their efforts to find a

fulfilling and rewarding working life.

A survey out today, "Work, Parenting and Careers 2002" shows that the

majority of parents (52 percent) believe that becoming a parent has affected

their career. The survey from people management experts the Chartered

Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also shows that this belief

is particularly likely to be held by women (72 percent). 28 percent of women had

actively downgraded their career since having children, but only 9 percent of

men interviewed had done so.

Mike Emmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser, said: "As a society we seem

unable to come up with positive solutions to these issues.

"Energy, talent and creativity is being lost to the UK workforce because

nowhere near enough employers are offering employees the chance to work

flexibly, or giving out the message that combining motherhood and a

fulfilling working life is a realistic expectation.

"The more we load onto working parents and particularly, as our survey

shows, working mothers, the more society as a whole suffers. Meanwhile

employers are missing out on the contribution a diverse workforce can

make.

"We also know that British parents face the highest childcare bills in

Europe - more and more parents cannot afford to pay, leaving women with

very little choice but to drop out of the labour market. Childcare

provision must be given even greater government priority for the good of

the economy and the wider community."

Key Findings

Nearly half of the 503 respondents had changed their job or role since

becoming a parent. Women were twice as likely as men to cite family

commitments or lack of family friendly policies as a primary reason for

the change. Women are also three times more likely to have changed their

working patterns than men, with only 20 percent continuing to work the same

hours as previously.

Just under half of the working parents interviewed (46 percent) worked in

organisations where some form of flexible working was available

(flexi-time, job-sharing, annualised hours etc). Prevalence of flexible

working policies was highest in the service industries and the public

sector, whereas only 29 percent of parents working in the manufacturing or

production industry had flexible working options open to them.

Where flexible working was available, take-up was high - 81 percent on average.

Men and women of all age groups, across all industry sectors and

organisation sizes, are keen to take advantage of flexible working

arrangements. 15 percent of working parents work from home more often than

previously, but this option was only available to about two-thirds of the

sample interviewed.

Some 73 percent of working parents feel that their employer does not offer support

sufficient financial support for working parents. Parents tend to feel

that they receive more support and understanding from their direct

colleagues than their employers.

Having children is viewed as a major source of stress. 80 percent of

respondents said that having children had increased their stress levels -

either slightly or considerably. Interestingly, this stress does not seem

to be affected by working status: parents who are working full-time

experience similar stress levels to those who have given up work to raise

a family. This is of note in the light of the CIPD's recent absence

survey which shows stress to be the most likely cause of long term

sickness among non-manual workers.

Along with childcare commitments, domestic responsibilities and time for

partners, many working parents don't feel they get enough 'me-time'.

Two-thirds (68 percent) of women interviewed said they didn't have enough time

for themselves. Men are either better at making time for themselves or

need less time, since only a half of men interviewed felt they didn't have

enough time to themselves.

Parents do not feel that the government or UK employers are doing enough

to help and support working parents, with 79 percent and 76 percent respectively of the

parents interviewed saying not enough support is provided. Employers score

slightly better than the government overall - 18 percent agree that they do

enough, whereas only 13 percent think the government is offering enough help.

Childcare cost is an important issue for working parents. Parents give

UK childcare an average score of 4 out of 10 for affordability. Only 25 percent

of parents interviewed felt that childcare costs were acceptable.

Not only does a lack of affordable childcare affect the career choices of

women in general; it has more of an impact on lower earners. The CIPD's

survey findings show that in households with an annual income of less than

£20 000 per year, women are most likely to give up work completely. In

contrast nearly 60 per cent of higher earners - households earning over

£40, 000 per year - report that they are working the same number of hours.

This comes as no surprise with the average cost of a nursery place in the

UK for a child under two, costing over £6000 per year.