This report is a collaboration between the economics think tank the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP), the global movement Women in Data@ and the charity and campaigning organisation Pregnant Then Screwed (PTS). It explores the economic and health impacts of extending the statutory entitlement to paternity leave and pay, including through its impacts on gender equality in the labour market.

Whilst pay is an important marker of a ‘good’ job, other aspects of work – such as the demands it places on workers, the level of control they have, working hours, flexibility and job security - also impact employees’ wellbeing significantly.(Green et al, 2024) This is known as ‘job quality’. Our research shows that mothers, particularly those with young children, face multiple disadvantages when it comes to job quality. We have termed this the ‘motherhood penalty in job quality’.

Feminism needs a makeover. In its original form, feminism worked to free women from a life without choices. Gloria Steinem’s feminism gave women the option to have brilliant careers outside the home, to forgo having children, and still lead meaningful lives. Many women needed to be freed from society’s expectations that all women should marry and have children and stay at home in the kitchen. However, the movement painted these issues with a broad brush rather than targeting those women who sought that choice. In its attempt to liberate those unhappy with traditional roles, it shifted judgment onto those who found fulfillment in raising children as meaningful work

What comes to mind when you hear the term “stay-at-home mom”? Though some may think of dedication and family values, there are many negative ideas in our culture about women who spend their time caring for their children and home. Uneducated, boring, and not ambitious are a few, and more recently, the term “tradwife”. Though this word technically describes women promoting a “traditional” lifestyle on social media, “tradwife” has become—in practice—a disparaging label broadly used for any woman engaged in full-time homemaking. A book released earlier this month, The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever by Neha Ruch, addresses these dynamics head on. It challenges the clichés of a mother “at home” and explores the simplistic thinking that stubbornly persists around motherhood and career.