Being a working mum involves making a lot of compromises. If you want a child, you’re more than likely going to have to compromise on pay. You’re also probably going to have put career progression on the back burner — for several years at least. If your employer is inflexible, you may have to change jobs or even quit the workforce entirely.
Mothers are expected to work like they don’t have kids, and parent like they don’t have jobs. To navigate this impossible situation, many take on work with as much flexibility as possible. But research suggests these contracts often have a downside — unpredictable, unreliable hours.
A survey commissioned by HR magazine found that working mothers are disproportionately impacted by unpredictable hours. Of those polled, 71% of women reported that unpredictable work would affect family life 'a lot', compared to half of the men surveyed. Some 66% of those in unpredictable employment said their job caused them stress, while 59% said they had experienced burnout.
Unpredictable work comes in various forms, including self-employment. On the surface, working for yourself seems empowering — but research suggests many women are driven to leave traditional employment out of necessity.
Not knowing when you’ll be working, and exactly how much you will earn, can lead to chronic stress, anxiety and depression.
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Often, these jobs are low paid and come without benefits like maternity leave or sick pay. The negative effects of unpredictable work are far-reaching, impacting not only mothers themselves but also their children, family dynamics, and long-term financial and emotional stability.
It is human nature to crave stability and predictability. In evolutionary terms, it meant survival. And while everyone should have access to predictable work, it’s especially important for mums who already have demanding schedules.
“Working mums are often juggling a wide variety of responsibilities, and usually need to plan ahead in order to manage their time effectively,” says Eloise Skinner, a career expert, author and psychotherapist.
"Many people certainly find a source of comfort and stability in predictable routines. When we can anticipate what comes next — in terms of our daily routines, the expectations placed on us, and the kinds of environments we’ll be in — we can deepen our sense of trust and safety in our own lives,” she says.
Although unpredictable work provides some level of flexibility, it can also take away important boundaries between work and home. “We might lose this boundary, since we’ll often end up thinking or worrying about work while we’re at home,” says Skinner.
The UK government has introduced a raft of measures to improve workers rights, including more benefits for working parents, wider access to statutory sick pay and an end to "exploitative" zero-hours contracts.
The bill, which is due to go before parliament next month, has been hailed as progress for women — who make up the majority of workers on these contracts. But whether an outright ban on zero hours work will be beneficial or limiting — especially for those without other options — remains to be seen.
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The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023, received Royal Assent in September 2023 and was due to become effective this autumn. When enacted, this would have given workers with uncertain hours the right to request predictability about their working days and times, the number of hours worked, and the length of their contract. However, the government now plans to press on with new legislation and this right may now form part of its forthcoming Employment Rights Bill.
What do we need to do to improve this situation?
“In terms of employer-led changes, jobs should be made available with a wide variety of working patterns, and a degree of autonomy for employees to select how they’d like to work,” says Skinner.
“For example, if a role is defined by a company, they should also consider — along with the content and scope of the role — different patterns of working.
“Employers could consider if a role could be performed remotely, part-time, in a job share, or with alternative working hours — depending on the employee and what they require or prefer.”
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But the backlash against flexibility — such as the return-to-office mandates put in place by some employers — shows the need for wider societal changes.
Often, flexibility is seen as a perk rather than a necessity. Mums who work flexibly may experience discrimination, such as being given fewer opportunities, receiving negative comments, or being given more junior tasks.
Tackling this problem requires a mindset shift that begins with employers. “Managers and leaders can normalise flexible but predictable working hours or different working patterns suited to each individual,” says Skinner. “They should also model these behaviours in their own working patterns.”
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