The debate on maternity leave rumbles on, as the latest piece of research reveals that one in three new mums feels that her career has been compromised because of maternity leave. The research, from the National Childbirth Trust, found that 32 per cent of working mums felt that they had hit an invisible ‘maternal wall’ at work which reduced the opportunity for promotion. Additionally, 31 per cent said the relationship they had with their boss had deteriorated following maternity leave, and 39 per cent declared that they found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to return to the workplace after raising a family.
While currently new mums are entitled to up to 39 weeks of paid maternity leave, there are plans to increase this to a year – though some people have raised concerns that this may actually do more harm than good for working women. What do you think? Should maternity leave be increased? Have you returned to work after raising a child and struggled to progress in your career? Let us know.
