Mothers Work!: How to Get a Grip on Guilt and Make a Smooth Return to Work

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You’ll need to give your employer notice that you want to take paternity leave. You should do this by 15 weeks before your baby’s due date, or within 7 days of being matched with a child for adoption. If they identify a risk that could cause harm to you or your child, they must firstly decide if they can control it.

If you have raised safety concerns and believe your employer has failed to take appropriate action, you can:

In 1984, 49% agreed with the statement: “A man’s job is to earn money; a woman’s job is to look after the home and family”. In 2017, just 8% of respondents agreed.

The Working Mother Research Institute conducted a survey in 2015 of working mothers asking how they felt. They found some unsurprising findings – that mothers that make less money are less satisfied for example. They also found that mothers tend to de-prioritise self-care when there are high levels of stress between work and home life. The biggest single contributing factor to satisfaction for working mothers was flexible working. Throughout this article we refer to mothers and fathers, by which we mean mothers and fathers who have dependent children. have had the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the due date (or the date the child is matched with you) You must tell your employer that you want to take adoption leave - you should do this within 7 days of hearing that you’ve been matched with a child for adoption, or as soon as is practical after this. Tell your employer when you expect the child to be placed with you and when you want your statutory adoption leave to start. You only get these rights if you’ve been matched with a child through an adoption agency or, in the case of an overseas adoption, received official notification. You can’t take adoption leave after a private adoption.

Estimates have been produced using the April to June Labour Force Survey (LFS) household dataset in 2019, and the January to December Annual Population Survey (APS) household and person datasets.If you’re a baby’s father or the mother’s partner you’re entitled to 1 or 2 weeks of paternity leave when you and your partner have a baby. You can also take paternity leave when you adopt a child. You might need to sign something for your employer, confirming that you’re going with your partner to an appointment recommended by her doctor or midwife. Your employer can’t ask to see evidence of the appointment, as the paperwork is your partner’s private information. Your employer doesn’t have to pay you during time off for appointments. You can take up to 6.5 hours for each appointment, though your employer can give you longer. You also have extra maternity rights while you’re pregnant at workand rights while you’re on maternity leave. Breastfeeding at work You can get more details of the shared parental leave and pay schemefrom GOV.UK. Adoption leave and pay

have been working for at least 26 weeks - these don’t have to be continuous, and this includes self-employment

If you or your partner is expecting a baby (or having a child placed with you for adoption), you might be able to turn the maternity (or adoption) leave and pay into shared parental leave and pay. Unless otherwise stated, dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and are either aged under 16 years, or aged 16 to 18 years and in full-time education. Children aged 16 to 18 years who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household are not classified as dependent children. Further information on how families are defined, including definitions for dependent and non-dependent children, can be found in the Families and households statistics explained publication. You’re only entitled to time off to look after your child if you’re an employee and have worked for your employer for 1 year or more.

Regular discussions with your employer (and safety representative if you have one) are important. This is because the risk of harm to you and your unborn child may increase at different stages of your pregnancy.

have had the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the due date, or by the time you’re matched with a child for adoption Respondents in this article are classified as parents if they have dependent children living with them in the same household. This analysis does not include parents whose children do not live with them, or parents whose children usually reside elsewhere (for example, with a former partner). They are ultimately responsible for workplace safety, but you also have responsibility for your own safety. that you’re entitled to paternity leave and that you’re taking leave to support the mother or care for the child In April to June 2018, more than 9 in 10 fathers (93.2%) worked 30 or more hours a week in their main job, compared with half (50.5%) of mothers. The majority (69.7%) of women without dependent children worked 30 or more hours in their usual working week (excluding overtime).