New research from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has found that half of women believe that having a baby poses such a risk to their career that they would consider remaining childless. In addition two-thirds of women are concerned about the impact that having children might have on their career. As a result an increasing number of new mums are considering re-training as a way to give them greater flexibility once they are parents.
AAT spoke to just over 2000 women, half with children and half without, with additional findings including:
77% are concerned about how they would balance work and family life if they were to become mothers in the future
Half of mothers have missed at least one milestone in their child’s life due to work
55% of mothers admitted that balancing childcare and work has been a barrier to staying in work, with 20% saying that a lack of support from their employer has made life as a working mum more difficult
24% of women have changed their career after having children, with 65% saying they would consider this
The chance to work flexible hours is the main factor for 64% of women changing career
Amongst non-mothers, 60% said they would consider taking another qualification or re-training altogether after having children. 39% said that they would be interested in exploring a career in professional services, accountancy and book keeping, or finance, which all typically offer flexible working patterns
