Working mothers in the UK are losing out on an average of £15,892 in earnings during a single period of maternity leave, according to fresh research highlighted by the Mirror that lays bare the financial hit families take when a new baby arrives.
The shortfall reflects the wide gap between regular wages and statutory maternity pay, which drops to a much lower flat rate after the first six weeks off. For many households that drop in income lands at the exact moment outgoings begin to climb because of nappies, formula, clothing and basic baby equipment.
Those essentials have become significantly more expensive. The cost of basic items for a newborn has risen by 54.5 per cent over the past decade, with several everyday products climbing far faster than the average wage rise over the same period.
Nappies are the standout example, with prices up by an eye-watering 118.1 per cent. Parents are also paying noticeably more for wipes, formula milk, weaning food and clothes, all of which need replacing on a near-weekly basis during the first year.
Campaigners say the figures help explain why so many mothers feel pushed back to work earlier than they would like. The income gap is widest for women on lower and middle salaries, where statutory pay covers only a fraction of their normal take-home pay.
There is a longer-term cost too. Time spent out of work, even briefly, can dent pension contributions, slow future pay rises and stall promotions, quietly chipping away at lifetime earnings in ways that rarely show up on a payslip.
Childcare is the next hurdle. Many families discover that paid nursery places eat up most of a second salary, which keeps some parents at home for longer and deepens the hit to household finances already absorbed during maternity leave.
Parenting groups have repeatedly called on ministers to review statutory maternity pay, arguing the current rate has fallen far behind the real cost of raising a child in modern Britain. Without a change, they warn, having a baby will keep pushing ordinary working families into avoidable hardship.