That’s a penalty totalling £124,391 in just over a decade that could set women back years in savings, pension contributions, and long-term career progression.

The hidden cost of parenthood

While fatherhood appears to bring no comparable decline in pay, the data highlights how motherhood is a turning point in women’s earnings trajectories. Systemic pressure rather than genuine choice means that women face career interruptions, reduced hours, or underemployment after becoming parents.

This is not just an equality issue, but an economic one. When women step away from the workforce or reduce their hours due to inflexible roles, insufficient maternity leave, or a lack of support, employers lose valuable talent, institutional knowledge, and diversity of perspective.

The risk is a vicious cycle: without adequate assistance, women are more likely to exit their careers or experience slowed progression, leading to fewer female leaders. The broader economy also suffers, losing the productivity and innovation associated with gender-diverse workforces.

How employers can close the gap

The ONS data should serve as a wake-up call to employers across every sector. The motherhood penalty isn’t inevitable – it’s a reflection of workplace structures that fail to accommodate parents equally and must be dismantled. The steps to fix it are within reach but require deliberate commitment from leadership.

Key areas for action include:

• Enhanced flexible working: true flexibility – not just hybrid policies – enabling women to balance roles without sacrificing career growth. Employers need to move beyond token arrangements and ensure flexibility is cultural, not conditional
• Equal parental leave: encouraging both parents to take leave distributes the burden of ‘career cost’ so that it no longer falls exclusively on mothers
• Returnship programmes: structuring initiatives that support women back into mid and senior-level roles after career breaks will prevent long-term pay stagnation
• Transparent salary progression: visibility in pay bands and structured promotion pathways will help neutralise unconscious bias in salary reviews
• Proactive management training: leaders should be equipped to manage employees through life transitions empathetically and strategically, from maternity leave to flexible scheduling

Building a culture that retains women

At Instant Offices, our research consistently shows that businesses with strong inclusivity measures, robust wellbeing policies, and flexible career frameworks experience higher employee retention and engagement rates. Supporting mothers isn’t a ‘perk’ it needs to be a core strategy for retaining skilled talent in a competitive labour market.

Employers who fail to address the motherhood penalty risk losing some of their most capable employees at the height of their potential. Creating true equity at work means ensuring that a woman’s decision to have children doesn’t come at the cost of her career or financial stability

Facing the future

The ONS findings make one thing clear: the motherhood penalty isn’t a private problem it’s a structural one. Employers who take tangible steps now to support working mothers will not only close pay gaps but build stronger, more resilient organisations where every employee can thrive without compromise.

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