Working mums: One in four face discrimation on return work, while over half felt attitudes changed when they fell pregnant

Heading off on maternity leave can be a daunting prospect for any mum-to-be, with many worrying they'll be forgotten or quickly 'replaced' the moment they walk out the door.

But it seems it's not just fears of being overlooked that women have to be concerned about when pregnant, as one in four mums have faced discrimination when they've returned to work.

New research has revealed that over half of expectant mums felt attitudes towards them changed when they fell pregnant, while two thirds said work had been "difficult" since coming back from maternity leave.

Missing out on promotions and feeling their views were no longer considered as important as those of colleagues without children were just some of the issues many women faced.

But perhaps most worrying was that nearly half of working mums felt having children halted their career progression, while many others saw rising up the career ladder as impossible.

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Kiran Daurka, a lawyer at Slater & Gordon who commissioned the study, said despite working practices for women with children improving over the years - working mums still facing "negative perceptions."

He said: ''Despite the equality legislation in place, attitudes and working practices continue to block women in achieving their career aspirations in the UK.

''This report shows that there are still negative perceptions of women with children and this kind of attitude is short-sighted and bad for business.

''Anecdotally, we hear of mothers complaining about being put on a 'mummy track' when back at work, and this research  illustrates that this is a real experience  for many women.

''I find it quite dispiriting to hear that more than a fifth of mums feel that they need to prove themselves to their bosses following their return from having baby.''

Of the 2,000 mums surveyed, four in 10 said they don't feel they have the support of their bosses, while a quarter felt under pressure to return to work earlier than they wanted to.

Many said they felt frustrated and 'out of the loop,' while a fifth said they felt less valued having returned to work as a mum.

Almost half felt their younger colleagues who didn't have children were prioritised in the workplace over them, while three in 10 felt their bosses saw being a mum as 'inconvenient.'

And despite flexible working hours and part-time working hours designed to help mums balance balance careers with motherhood, it seems many mums found this simply frustrated their colleagues - many of whom feel their careers had simply become jobs.

In fact, one in four has been made to feel they're no longer required in their current workplace and the same number has even had pressure on them to leave their position or reduce their role.

A determined third of mums feel they actually work harder now than they did before their pregnancy.

Kiran Daurka added: ''Pregnancy and maternity discrimination are not women's issues - these are societal and economic issues.

''It is in everyone's interest to ensure that working mothers are allowed to work to their full potential.

''The workplace is changing and it is more important than ever that we take advantage of a work force that are often happy to do early starts and late finishes and even weekends if it means it works around them having children.

''Flexibility really can be win-win for everyone.''

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