
Over two thirds of mothers returning to
work after maternity leave are anxious about being less able to do their
job than before they had a child, a new study has shown.
A further 58 per cent of those surveyed by Corporate Mothers, a group designed to help working mothers via coaching and workshops, said that their employer had done nothing to help them return to
work.
Amanda Alexander, founder of Corporate Mothers, said: "Within the next few years, 80 per cent of the growth in the UK workforce will be accounted for by women, and by 2010, one in five workers will be mothers.
"Too many professional women feel that they have no choice but to give up their career when trying to negotiate flexible working."
New rules coming into place soon will allow mothers with children up to the age of 16 to request flexible working hours from their employers, and a recent survey showed that more then 90 per cent of requests for flexi-time had been approved.