Recent data reveals a staggering reality: nearly a quarter of a million mothers with young children have left the UK workforce due to the complexities of balancing career and childcare. The “motherhood penalty” is often framed as an inconvenience to businesses but the reality is that it’s a not just mothers that miss out, business and society do too. 

Natalie Cramp, Partner at JMAN Group, shares her honest, first-hand account of returning to the high-pressure Private Equity industry after maternity leave. 

Natalie highlights: 

• Retention makes commercial sense: The PwC Women in Work Index states that UK employers could save £260 million annually in recruitment and turnover costs simply by keeping women in full-time employment post-childbirth.  
• Support for Dads is essential: JMAN Group’s market-leading paternity policy removes the “choice” between bonding and bills. Research shows that countries with robust, paid paternity leave see significantly smaller gender wage and labour participation gaps. 
• True support isn’t superficial: It must go beyond the HR policy and be believed in and led from the top. It means acknowledging that the person returning is not the same person who left, and providing practical bridges like upskilling, flexible remote working, and phased returns. 
• It’s not all about money: The small things mean a lot, but the more you can do to take the financial stress out of decisions, the better. 

Click below to read Natalie’s full account of the “motherhood penalty,” the specific small things that make a big difference, and why JMAN Group is challenging the norms of the PE and data industry in a recent New Digital Age article.