Over 80 percent of Members of the British House of Commons are male, even though there were record numbers of female candidates during the last Parliamentary elections in 1997. And for working women who are also parents, the picture is even bleaker. Campaigners, including the Equal Opportunities Commission, have identified four main impediments that hold back British working mothers. The cost of childcare is enormous and there are few free or subsidized places. An allied study on lone parenting by the same foundation found that as a result, more than two-thirds of working women in Britain are dependent upon informal, often unregistered childcare arrangements from family and friends.
Maternity leave arrangements are poor compared to the rest of Europe.
Many more British mothers who want to work are unable to. The unemployment rate for lone mothers and mothers with children under school age are particularly high, at 59 percent. Many employers are not prepared to make concessions for working mothers. They found that over half the working mothers who requested more flexible working arrangements were refused any concession, and that 20 percent of the mothers who refused to make changes in their work schedule were either dismissed, laid off or forced to resign. Finally, both social and economic factors prevent fathers from participating fully in raising their children.