A survey by Mumsnet, marking the launch of its new Mumsnet Jobs site, shows that an overwhelming majority of Mumsnet users (91 percent)  think that there is a ‘motherhood penalty’, whereby mothers’ careers take a nosedive post-children – contributing to the gap in workplace pay and seniority between men and women.A survey by Mumsnet, marking the launch of its new Mumsnet Jobs site, shows that an overwhelming majority of Mumsnet users (91 percent)  think that there is a ‘motherhood penalty’, whereby mothers’ careers take a nosedive post-children – contributing to the gap in workplace pay and seniority between men and women.

The survey finds that: Nine out of ten (91 percent) believe that the ‘motherhood penalty’ exists, with 46 percent thinking it’s ‘unfair’ and 18 percent going further and saying it’s a ‘huge problem’. Six out of ten (65 percent) mothers felt that having children has had a negative effect on their career. Of those who said it had had a negative effect, 56 percent felt unable to pursue seniority or promotion because they couldn’t commit to long hours and constant availability; and 37 percent were earning less than they had before they had children.

But parenthood doesn’t affect dads’ careers to anything like the same extent: three quarters (73 percent) said that having children had had no impact on their partner’s career. Nearly half (45 percent) said they used the time out from the workplace after having children to reassess their career and think about possible new directions. For employers who are enthusiastic about the potential of this group of women, there are some clear pointers for attracting them: 71 percent of respondents cited flexible hours when asked what they prioritise when looking for a new job, and 52 percent mentioned part-time working; 34 percent of those who returned to paid work after having children said they were surprised by how difficult it was to manage the logistics of nursery pick-ups or time off to look after unwell children; 39 percent said they felt out of touch with skills, working practices or contacts, suggesting a need for better support through maternity leave or refresher training on return to work.

Of those who said that their current job worked well with their family life, factors cited included flexible hours (61 percent), having an understanding line manager (39 percent), having a workplace quite close to home (39 percent), and being able to work from home (35 percent). The biggest difficulties are being unable to work flexibly, and being unable to pick children up from school – both cited by 51 percent of those whose current job does not fit well with their family life.

Mumsnet Jobs, to be launched at the annual Mumsnet Workfest event dedicated to women and work, is a brand new job site to showcase family-friendly job opportunities.  The site will give companies the chance to be out and proud about encouraging gender diversity and their family friendly credentials.  Launch partners include HSBC, Tesco, Grant Thornton, PwC, Barclays, Bella Italia and Stella & Dot.

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet CEO said: “In 2015, we’re still seeing most mothers – but relatively few fathers – suffer professionally when they have children. It’s a multi-faceted problem, but one way forward is for women to vote with their feet, and take their skills and experience to forward-thinking employers. So we’ve launched Mumsnet Jobs to showcase family-friendly jobs at all levels and across all sectors – because women shouldn’t have to accept career penalties as the price of motherhood.”

Alison Horner, Chief People Officer at Tesco said: “Tesco is about opportunity and many colleagues (me included) came back after having children and built their confidence and careers. Mumsnetters are our customers and we'd love to have more of them as our colleagues. Mumsnet Jobs is a really exciting partnership for us”. Sharon Gillam, Global Head of Resourcing and Graduates at Barclays said: “It’s proven that a business that reflects the full diversity of human experience is a better performing business.  That is why at Barclays we are excited to be partnering with Mumsnet Jobs in our ambition to create an inclusive, family friendly place to work.”