1 in 7 new mothers made redundant

One in seven women is made redundant after maternity leave amid growing levels of discrimination, a new study has found.

One in ten women surveyed said they were replaced by their maternity leave cover, while one in seven was overlooked for a promotion.

More than half of women subjected to discrimination “suffered in silence”, some in fear that it would damage their career, according to the survey of 1,000 women carried out by law firm Slater & Gordon.

Campaign group Maternity Action said the number of new mothers seeking advice over discrimination had doubled every year for the past three years, since the economic downturn.

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