New research on young mothers reveals urgent need for systemic change

Close the Gap are working in partnership with Save the Children to deliver a two-year project to understand and address the barriers that young mothers (aged 16-25) face in the Scottish labour market, particularly with regards to in-work poverty and sustaining fair work. 

Since the Fair Work for Young Mothers project began in June 2025, the first phase of work has focused on building an evidence base about young mothers’ experiences in the labour market. We have been working closely with our Research and Campaign Advisers, a group of 8 young mothers whose lived experience has been invaluable in guiding the research design and framing of findings. 

Young mothers, poverty, and the labour market

A woman’s age at the birth of her first child is likely to be substantially lower in the most deprived areas of the country. Of the six priority groups identified in Scottish Government’s Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, the risk of poverty is highest (55 percent) for households with a mother aged under 25. Mothers under 25 are also more likely than other groups to experience poverty despite being in paid work, with this being the case for 42 percent of young mothers. 

Young women aged 16-24 are concentrated in low-paid and service sector roles like caring and service, administrative and secretarial, and sales and customer services occupations. In contrast, young men dominate in more technical and higher-paying manual occupations. Data on the distribution of 16–24-year-olds across industries also reveals stark gender segregation mirroring that of occupational groups. This highlights a structural divide in early labour market opportunities, reflecting persistent gendered assumptions about who does what type of work, most often funnelling young women into work typically associated with lower pay and status from an early age. There isn’t data available on which occupations and industries young mothers specifically are more likely to work in, but it is reasonable to assume that such data would show a similar picture.  

There is a lack of routinely collected data on the labour market participation of young mothers in Scotland. This includes widespread intersectional data gaps on young mothers who are disabled, racially minoritised, survivors of men’s violence, migrants and LGBT. Our research aims to offer a better understanding of the labour market experiences of young women and how these are shaped by motherhood. 

To build our evidence base, we conducted research into young mothers’ experiences of the Scottish labour market. This involved: 

1. A mapping of young mothers’ position in the Scottish labour market – seeking key characteristics of young mothers’ employment, such as occupational segregation and working patterns. 
2. A literature review of young mothers’ labour market experiences – reviewing policy, academic and grey literature to gather existing evidence. 
3. Qualitative research with low-income young mothers on their experiences – a diverse group of 32 young mothers from across Scotland were interviewed. 
4. An employer poll – responses from 181 Scottish employers from a range of sectors, organisational sizes, and job roles. 

Headline findings

The Fair Work for Young Mothers project involved invaluable research that provides a rich insight into the labour market experiences of young mothers, a group that is often overlooked and ignored. 

The full findings will be available in our research report, but here is a preview of some of our headline findings:   

• Young mothers remain considerably less likely to be in employment when compared to other mothers, even as their children grow up. 
• The interplay between childcare and paid work is critical – young mothers need suitable, affordable childcare. This is particularly true for those with disabled children and children with additional support needs. Young mothers also need fair work that provides flexibility without fear of reprisal. 
• Many young mothers are disabled or have disabled children, are carers for other household members, racially minoritised, care experienced, and survivors of male violence – these experiences impact their journeys with entering, sustaining and progressing in paid work. 
• Employer support for young mothers is conditional and uneven, and constrained by organisational size, entrenched stereotypes, and limited capacity for flexibility. 
• Some of our interview participants reported discriminatory attitudes and practices after disclosing their pregnancy to their employer. 
• All the young mothers we interviewed reported feeling stigmatised and judged for having children at a younger age. 

Despite navigating these challenges and more, the young mothers interviewed in our research expressed significant pride and ambition – they felt that becoming a mother at a younger age had developed their resilience, strength and determination in all areas of life. 

Policy failings, poor employer practice, and the persistence of occupational segregation have allowed young mothers and their families to remain at a disproportionate risk of experiencing poverty.

Full research report launch

We are delighted to be launching our full research report this autumn. 

The findings will be integral to this project’s second phase, which will focus on developing resources for employers, launching a campaign to raise young mothers’ awareness of their employment rights, and influencing policymakers to work towards big change that addresses systemic inequality. In particular, our recommendations will set out what must change so that young mothers can access, sustain, and progress in fair work.

Further information on the report launch and how you can attend will be shared soon. 

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