By Kate Brown
The number of working-age mothers with a job has risen by nearly 50% in the past four decades, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). They concluded that the increase was due to more women in employment in the UK.
There has been huge change in working patterns over the past years with women being much more likely to continue working when they have children. Statistics reveal that the proportion of mothers aged 25-54 in paid work grew from 50% in 1975 to 75% in 2015, and reached a record high of 78% in 2017.
A research economist at the IFS, Barra Roantree, commented: “employment rates for working-age women in the UK have increased dramatically over the past four decades, particularly for those with young children”. However, the IFS also reported that London’s female employment rate had decreased compared to other parts of the country, despite London’s overall employment rate being amongst the highest in the UK. The findings come amid mounting concern about Britain’s gender pay gap.
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