The Final Report of the Equalities Review, published by Equalities Commission in 2007, reviewed a range of persistent inequalities including those that affect women. It argued that, ‘…new research reveals clearly that there is one factor that above all leads to women’s inequality in the labour market – becoming mothers’. This is a problem particularly in the context of ‘austerity’, reported the Fawcett Society more recently, with women being more likely than men to be made redundant and are particularly targeted when pregnant. The processes in which being a working mother creates complications were outlined well by Madeleine Bunting in the Guardian, shortly after the Equalities Review report was published. Being on call in case of sickness or problems at the nursery, finding it difficult to work late or do essential networking, finding travel more difficult, seem to be issues with which women end up grappling. While we expect things to change as children get older, the reverse is true. Once children hit school age, the responsibilities escalate as well as the difficulties of finding childcare around school times and holidays. A TUC Report called Age Immaterial, found that women were more, not less likely to go part-time, once their children went to school.

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