7th March 2025 ❘

International Women’s Day and true equality in the workplace

Anna Lovett, Employment Partner

International Women’s Day and true equality in the workplace…

 

*Following release of this article, new research from Pregnant Then Screwed, in partnership with Women In Data®, shows a sharp increase in the number of women who are potentially pushed out of their job when pregnant, during or when returning from maternity leave. The new data shows up to 74,000 women every year now lose their job for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave.

 

In this article, our Employment Partner Anna Lovett explores her own personal journey of returning from maternity leave as well as how employers can ensure they support their workforce during this change and ultimately retain talent within their organisation…

In 2025, you may be wondering whether there’s still a point to International Women’s Day, but did you know that 54,000 women a year lose their job just for getting pregnant? Or that 390,000 working mums experience negative and potentially discriminatory treatment at work each year? And that one in five mothers have left their job following a negative or discriminatory experience?

We have had laws in place to protect women from maternity discrimination since 1975, yet the figures clearly show that this does not translate to true equality in the workplace. Ultimately, a failure to fully support women during this life transition, will cost businesses money – the costs in recruiting and retaining lost talent as well as potential employment tribunal claims and reputational damage.

I have recently returned to work having had the immense privilege of taking a year’s maternity leave with my daughter. I will be honest, the return to work is a tale of two halves: raring to get back to it, ready to use my brain and the joy of adult conversation, versus the imposter syndrome, the tears at nursery drop off and mum guilt. I am quickly learning that this sums up parenthood – a rollercoaster of emotions and a cocktail of juxtapositions!

I am extremely grateful to have the ongoing support of my employer and team, however, having worked exclusively in employment law for over 12 years, I have seen numerous times where employers have missed the mark. Employers must and should be doing more to support employees during and on return from maternity leave. Rather than seeing maternity leave as an extended holiday (I wish!) I would encourage employers to recognise the immense personal growth that comes with parenthood, make sure you tap into it and harness it rather than overlook the opportunities. Let’s be honest, raising children provides employees with a host of skills; flexibility, resilience, time management…the list goes on! By recognising the stability and institutional knowledge that an employee holds, businesses can ensure it receives a long-term return on its investment rather than starting again, which will inevitably be at a higher cost to the business.

So, what can you do as a business leader to ensure you receive a return on your investment in your workforce?

  1. Culture is key! Change will only happen when an organisation has a stigma-free environment. The world of work is changing drastically. In the past, most households had one earner that was usually the man, with women staying a home to raise children. This is not the case anymore. It is imperative that your senior leadership and managers receive training in order expand their knowledge and challenge biases. Imagine how powerful it can be when a leader pro-actively promotes themselves as a working parent and the challenges that this can bring.
  1. Equality involves everyone – including men. In the UK a woman is entitled to a year maternity leave, yet a partner is only entitled to two weeks. Two weeks is barely enough time to process the life changing event of having a baby – never mind providing enough time for a woman to recover from the physical impacts of birth. Large companies, such as Mars, Google and Zurich are now recognising this and implementing more generous schemes which encourage equality and choice in home life which in turn will assist with change in the workplace.
  1. Open and honest communication. It is not realistic to expect that an employee will return and be up to full productivity within the first week. It is important that both employer and employee recognise that there is likely to be peaks and troughs in the short term. The difficulty in returning to work is not just the logistics of childcare, it is the mental load of balancing work and parenting. This helps to manage expectations on both sides and remove any negative pressure that the employee may be feeling. This can be factored into your business projections, ensuring that the long-term benefits of retaining these valuable employees far outweigh any temporary instability.
  1. Re-onboarding. Think how difficult it is to get back into work after a two-week holiday – now imagine now returning to work after a year off where you have experienced changes to your mind, body and life. It is imperative that an employer provides a comprehensive return to work, this could involve a phased return, additional training on systems and process, mentorship and career guidance. A full re-induction will help to bridge any knowledge gap and reinforces the message that the employee is a valued member of the team.
  1. Be flexible about flexibility. It has been five years since COVID forced home working and employers are still grappling with what flexibility in the workplace looks like. While some organisations are now forcing a mandatory return to the office, it is clear this is having a negative impact on working parents. The law allows workers to request flexible working from day one and with discrimination claims on the rise, organisations need to be careful with refusing flexibility from working parents.

Ultimately as an employer, if you get this right, it can be a huge positive. Growing your family is without a shadow of a doubt one of the biggest life changes, and as with any big life event it reaffirms your values and what is important to you as an individual. An employer who recognises this change, shares these values and provides genuine support to employees will reap the rewards of a loyal, committed and productive workforce.

Our Employment team is on hand for advice and support – to find out more just get in touch.