Half of working mums don’t get the flexibility they request at work, according to a new survey published by the TUC and campaigner Mother Pukka. Almost 13,000 mums across the public and private sector responded to the survey about flexible working. One in two (50%) told the TUC that their current employer had rejected or only accepted part of their flexible working request.

The legal ‘right to request’ flexible working has been in place for around 20 years. But the survey shows the current system is broken, says the TUC. Too many workers have their requests turned down – and those who get flexible working face discrimination and disadvantage as a result. The survey also revealed that attitudes to flexible work need to change.

Many women told the TUC they are put off asking for flexible working. Two in five (42%) said they were worried about their employers’ negative reaction. Others thought there was no point asking as it would just be turned down (42%). Only one in 20 (5%) working mums who hadn’t made a flexible working request said it was because they didn’t need it. Two in five (42%) mums told the TUC that they would not feel comfortable asking about flexible working in a job interview because they thought they would be discriminated against.

Founder of Mother Pukka Anna Whitehouse said: “I started the Flex Appeal movement after my flexible working request was denied in 2015. I asked to arrive 15 minutes earlier so I could leave 15 minutes earlier to make nursery pick-up. My request was denied for fear it might ‘open the floodgates’ to others seeking flexibility. I left, I quit, I broke and I felt redundant – like the 54,000 women every year who lose their jobs for simply having a baby.”