Network Ireland survey highlights pressures and worries of working mothers
Kitty Holland Social Affairs Correspondent
“Half of working mothers have considered giving up work due to the cost of childcare; almost 90 per cent feel “overwhelmed at times” by the pressures of balancing work and their personal lives; while almost half feel they have been discriminated against at work because they are women.
These are among the stark findings of a national survey of working women published on Monday, in advance of International Women’s Day on March 8th. The findings underline the “pressures and worries” experienced by women in 2020 Ireland, says Network Ireland.
The women-in-business networking group has 1,200 members across the State. Almost 500 women responded to the online survey conducted between February 17th and 27th, according to network president Louisa Meehan. “Childcare and the cost of it – financially, emotionally and logistically – is a massive issue for working mothers. Certainly some are working just to pay childcare because they don’t want to lose their careers and certainly some, once they have their second or third child, consider giving up working altogether because the cost is just too high.”
Discrimination
The survey finds half (49.3 per cent) have considered giving up work because of the cost; over three-quarters (77.5 per cent) deal with work-related emails and calls outside of working hours; and almost half (47 per cent) report feeling discriminated against in the workplace because they are women.
