Women in England face a dramatic and long-lasting earnings hit after having children, with the average mother losing over £65,000 in pay by the time her first child turns five, according to sobering new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The analysis reveals a 42% fall in mothers’ average monthly earnings – equivalent to a loss of £1,051 per month – compared with income levels one year before childbirth. The ONS found that the “motherhood penalty” not only affects immediate earnings, but can extend across multiple children, costing mothers over £124,000 if they have three children.
The financial cost of caring
The figures are drawn from pay data between 2014 and 2022 and underscore what campaigners and policy experts have long warned: that becoming a mother in the UK still results in a substantial and persistent financial penalty.
• £65,618 lost on average by five years after first child
• £26,317 additional loss after a second child
• £32,456 further loss after a third child
That adds up to more than £124,000 in lost income for a mother of three – not accounting for pension gaps, savings loss or reduced promotion opportunities.
“It’s not a gentle decline – it’s a financial freefall,” said Rachel Grocott, CEO of the maternity rights charity Pregnant Then Screwed. “Mothers are punished for caring, sidelined at work, and expected to absorb the cost.”
The earnings gap stems from reduced hours, career breaks, and the high cost and inflexibility of childcare. While the government introduced Shared Parental Leave (SPL) in 2014, uptake remains low, with cultural and financial barriers still discouraging many fathers from taking extended leave.
Joeli Brearley, founder of return-to-work consultancy Growth Spurt, said the data was “catastrophic for women’s quality of life”.
“Money is freedom, and stripping women of that freedom because they became mothers is nothing short of scandalous.”
The current UK parental leave system offers just six weeks at 90% of pay for mothers, followed by up to 33 weeks at a flat rate of £187.18 per week – often far below the cost of living. Fathers are entitled to only two weeks at the same low rate.
Experts are calling for a complete overhaul of the UK’s parental leave and childcare systems.
“Addressing the motherhood penalty requires bringing parental leave policies into the 21st century,” said Alice Martin, lecturer at Lancaster University. “We need to accommodate parenthood alongside work – not in spite of it.”
Martin acknowledged the government’s recent pledges to improve flexible working and expand subsidised childcare, but said “there’s still a long way to go”.
In September 2025, the government began rolling out 30 hours of free childcare per week for working parents earning up to £100,000 per year, for children aged nine months and over. But sector leaders say that nurseries are struggling to meet demand due to staff shortages and underfunding.
A survey by the Early Years Alliance found that 94% of nurseries expect to increase fees for non-eligible families this year, further compounding the financial burden on working parents.
The motherhood penalty is not just a women’s issue, experts argue, but an economic one. With UK labour shortages and productivity under pressure, failing to retain and promote working mothers means businesses and the economy are missing out on experienced talent.
“We can’t talk about growth and innovation without tackling the systemic barriers that force women out of work or into low-paid roles after childbirth,” said Brearley.
As the ONS figures make clear, for many women, having children still comes with a six-figure career price tag – one that UK society has yet to reconcile with its claims of equality.
