Do today’s grown-up daughters have it easier than their mothers? Mabel Msonthi talks to two generations of women

There is no doubt that the working world has changed beyond recognition over the last 30 years. But just how much has this change affected the day-to-day reality of women’s lives? Was the subject of maternity and paternity leave even an issue in the past? The contrast between a mother and her daughter’s experiences of the workplace provides a snapshot of the issue over the past few decades.

Kate Banham, 56, has worked for over 25 years in social care work. ‘I worked from 1967 to 1972 as a care worker, and gave up work for 12 years, while I had my 3 children,’ says Kate. ‘After such an extended break from work, I found it easy to pick up care work again, due to the nature of the job. I returned part-time, as my youngest daughter was still only 5 years old; this meant that I could fit nursery school around my hours,’ she adds.

Anne Banham, Kate’s 29-year-old daughter opted to return to work on a part-time basis, after the birth of her child. However, Anne has taken a drop in wages and put her career progression on hold. ‘I have less money, but feel that this system has worked out well. I watch colleagues struggle to return to work full-time, and they seem exhausted,’ she says. Anne admits that an increase in paternity leave would at least recognise the part men should play in childcare. ‘At present, I feel that the pressure is solely on me. My partner and I have had a child, but I am the one who has paid, in career terms,’ she says.

It is very significant that recent Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) research found that, flexible hours were what parents wanted most. Indeed, the trade and industry secretary, Stephen Byers, described the work-life balance as ‘one of the key issues facing us in a modern society’, and insisted that the system had to change. He emphasized that, ‘The labour market has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, and sticking with the status quo is not an option.’

Next page: women with children don’t work

Jean Thompson, 53, started her working life in 1971, as a secretary in a small firm of building contractors. ‘After two years I left to have my daughter, and I more or less announced that I would be leaving for good, when I told my boss that I was pregnant,’ she says. In contrast, Sarah, Jean’s daughter, had her baby son two years ago and took 10 months off, before returning to work full-time. ‘I only qualified for the statutory maternity leave of 18 weeks. My wage is vital for our mortgage, as my partner is on a fixed-term contract that is renewed every 9 months,’ says Sarah.

Nationally, 25% of mothers go back to work, well before their 18 weeks are over, because they can't afford not to. Back in the 1970’s, however, one salary was enough to keep the Thompsons’ finances in order – an increasingly rare situation today.

How does Jean Thompson view her daughter’s state of affairs? ‘I look at my daughter and see that she has a career as well as children, and this is the key difference. I worry about her level of tiredness. Looking back at my own experience, I decided to dedicate my life to the kids because my husband was the main breadwinner. But I wonder if women today are genuinely choosing the situation that they find themselves in, as opposed to being forced?’

Research conducted in the 1990’s showed that, on the whole, the more generous the maternity provision, the higher the proportion of women going back to work, after the birth of their child. Women who qualified for extended maternity absence were more likely to have returned to work than those only entitled to statutory maternity leave (72% compared to 56%).

Next page: have things changed that much?

Many women, who are now classed as middle-aged, had a completely different set of choices to make, when it came to fitting children in with work. Admittedly, careers for women were not so commonplace in the past, but many women today are forced to juggle a career and motherhood, not choose one or the other. Flexible leave would clearly help to ease the situation, as there is no doubt about who has been left holding the baby.

The issue as a whole is certainly on the agenda. The government’s 2001 budget opens the way to increased maternity pay and leave as well as paid paternity leave for new fathers. Let’s hope that the next generation of daughters have more choice and support than their mothers before them.

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