Most new mothers feel a sense of guilt when the time comes for them to return to work, a new study suggests.
Eight of ten said felt guilty about leaving their newborns with other carers, according to a poll of 1,000 parents for the Work and Family Show. However, only 39 per cent of fathers had similar negative feelings about returning to the office at the end of their paternity leave.
However, there was less discrepancy between new mothers and fathers in some areas discussed. While a quarter of mothers admitted they wished they had never gone back to work and had stayed at home instead, only slightly less (22 per cent) of fathers said they also wished they could give up their jobs and look after the kids.
Significantly, the percentage of mothers and fathers claiming they shared household chores equally was 29 per cent in each case.
