New Moms Face Obstacles At Work, U.N. Report Says

Many working women face obstacles in taking maternity leave, and those that do spend time away to nurture their newborns are finding their return to the workplace difficult, a U.N.-sponsored report said Monday.

The study of dozens of developed and underdeveloped nations by the International Labor Organization also found that working women face serious problems in advancing their careers after having children.

These women often run into “unspoken obstacles” such as business meetings held in the evenings when mothers of newborns are often unavailable, and companies assuming new mothers don’t want challenging assignments, the report added.

The study said that financing the time away from the job was key concern.

“Most working women, unless they have some kind of cash benefit, really cannot afford to be away,” said Ann Herbert, a member of the team which compiled the study.

The study noted that the United States, Australia and New Zealand are among countries that do not require companies to grant paid maternity leave, although many companies do anyway, said the report.