74,000 Mums Lose Their Jobs Every Year

The Harsh Truth Behind Maternity Discrimination

Things are getting worse for working mums, and yes, it’s as bad as you think.

This week, Pregnant Then Screwed released some fresh data in partnership with Women In Data, and, honestly, I was excited. Excited for data, of all things. Because let’s face it, I love data. I’m that person who thrives on numbers, the stark, unwavering truth of it. Data doesn’t lie. It’s either right or it’s wrong, no in-betweens.

I like data because when you’ve been accused of making “errors” in your newest campaign or when someone doubts your latest creative idea, you can just pull out the numbers and go, “Well, actually… here are the stats, and here’s why I’m right.” Data is a beautiful thing when it backs up your arguments.

And while I’ve been surrounded by stories of working mums being crushed under the weight of outdated, broken systems, I also knew that if I could get my hands on some most recent data, it would confirm what we’ve been screaming into the void: things are not getting better for mums who want/need to work. In fact, they’re getting worse.

It’s a bit like when you buy a new car and suddenly you see that car everywhere. Once you notice it, it’s like the Matrix is broken and, boom, you’re hyper-aware. That’s exactly how I feel when I hear the stories of working mothers being hurt, punished, and downright mistreated by their employers for daring to have a baby. The more I hear about it, the more I see it. It's everywhere. But now we’ve got hard data to back it up, and let me tell you… it’s terrifying.

So, let’s break down this newest report - not just to prove a point, but to make sure we don’t let anyone derail the conversation with the usual talking points like, “But more women are working now!” or “Women have so many more opportunities today!”

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Let’s dive into the numbers:

1. 74,000 Women Are Losing Their Jobs Every Year for Being Pregnant or Taking Maternity Leave
   That’s right. 74,000. That’s a staggering increase of +37% from 2016, when the number was 54,000. What does this mean? It means a woman is being pushed out of her job every 7 minutes in the UK. Let that sink in. Every seven minutes, a woman is either sacked, made redundant, or pushed out of the workplace just because she dared to have a baby. I mean, I can’t even process that. And people state “but things are better now,” this is literally the opposite of “better.”

2. 12.3% of Women Are Sacked, Constructively Dismissed, or Made Redundant While Pregnant or on Maternity Leave
   The numbers here don’t lie. 12.3%. That’s a little over 1 in 8 women. Let me put that in perspective: that’s not a small “blip” on the radar. That’s a massive issue. A full 12.3% of women are sacked or forced out while pregnant, on maternity leave, or within a year of returning to work. If that’s not a crisis, I don’t know what is.

3. 49.5% of Women Experience a Negative Work Experience During Pregnancy or Maternity Leave
   This one stings. Nearly half of women…yes, you read that right 49.5% say they had a negative experience at work while pregnant, on maternity leave, or returning to work. And what’s worse? A full 20.6% of those women had to leave their employer entirely because of the mistreatment. How many of you have had to fight tooth and nail just to get the bare minimum when it comes to maternity leave and then come back to find your role completely undermined? The system is broken, and these stats prove it.

4. A Third of Women Are Sidelined or Demoted After Returning to Work
   One in three women (35.9%) reported being sidelined or demoted while pregnant, on maternity leave, or when they came back. Imagine putting your life on pause, growing a human, and returning to work only to find out your position has been taken away from you. Or, you’re now sitting at a desk in the corner because someone thought it was more efficient to “downsize” your role while you were out. This is not just unfair; it’s illegal. And yet, here we are.

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Let’s Talk About Solutions
I can’t just sit here and throw numbers at the problem without looking for solutions. Here’s what I think need to change:

• Family-Friendly Workplaces: Flexibility isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity. Employers need to stop pretending like flex-time isn’t possible. Start offering real flexibility, and make sure jobs are advertised with family-friendly options in mind.

• Legally Required Data Collection: It’s high time that companies start being held accountable. Collecting maternity retention data should be a legal necessity. Let’s start tracking how women are being treated before, during, and after maternity leave. If companies care about diversity and inclusion, this is the bare minimum they should be doing.

• More Paternity Leave, Please: We need companies to stop pretending that dads don’t need time off, too. Let’s start pushing for equal, extended paternity leave, because, raising a child is not a solo mum job.

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So here we are. 74,000 women being shoved out of their careers every single year. If that’s not a wake-up call, I don’t know what is. As a mum, a woman, and a person who has been in the trenches, I can tell you: this is a crisis. But we can fix it if we talk about it, share the data, and, more importantly, demand better. Much better.

It’s time for the conversation to stop being just about the statistics. Let’s use this data as a tool to spark change and demand equality. Because, newsflash, mums aren’t just mums - they are workers, contributors, and crucial members of the economy. And it’s high time we start treating them like it.

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Join Pregnant Then Screwed and shred your CV to take a stand and expose this massive waste: www.careershredder.com