Lockdown increasing the gender wage gap as more women lose their jobs than men

Mothers who were in paid work before lockdown are 47% more likely than fathers to have permanently lost their jobs or quit, new research in the UK suggests.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report also found women have taken on “more housework and childcare than fathers” during lockdown, even if they have the same working arrangements.

Mothers are also spending more of their working hours simultaneously trying to care for children compared to men according to the analysis.

The IFS study, of more than 3,500 households, found that mothers are 14% more likely to have been furloughed than fathers during the current crisis.

Researchers warn that a dramatic reduction in the time mothers are spending dedicated to work could harm their careers and increased the gender wage gap.

The research comes as primary schools across England are preparing to admit more children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 from next week.

Read more via Sky News