Working mothers keep less

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Working mothers keep less than 10 per cent of their salaries after paying for childcare and cleaners to help them out, a survey for British Gas has found. According to the Cost of Working survey, the typical working mother earns on average 864 a month after tax and spends Pounds 808 of this on help - leaving 56 a month. The survey also found that four in ten working mothers have full-time jobs and, of those who work part-time, 60 per cent have two jobs. The mothers spend on average 262 a month on childcare and then more on children's activities, babysitters and extra cover during school holidays. Almost three-quarters said that covering the cost of everyday living rather than personal fulfilment or pleasure was their main motivation for working.