Mothers still count the cost of caring

Paula Radcliffe | AFP via Getty Images

New research has warned about the financial impact of having one parent solely responsible when a child is sick or injured, with mothers still carrying most of the caring responsibilities.

The report from insurance provider MetLife found that 77 per cent of people in Scotland said they turned to their mum for care when they were sick or injured, while only 13 per cent said they would go to their dad.

While MetLife described such behaviour as a completely natural reaction, the insurer said it can put a lot of pressure on mums –especially when it comes to juggling work and home life.And some 36 per cent of parents in Scotland worry about how their boss will react if they need to take time off to look after a poorly child.

Regardless of a child’s parental preference, the need for sudden or emergency childcare can instantly create a whole host of problems for families, according to the research. Financial worries are common for UK parents, with more than a quarter fearing losing income when having to take time out of work to care for an ill or injured child. More than a third worry about the impact on their work and inevitably how it would affect their career progression.

More than half of UK parents try to plan ahead when they know they’ll need to provide more care, with this group opting to reserve some annual leave. However, if an extended amount of time off work to provide childcare were needed, then as many as 77 per cent of working parents would be at financial risk due to not having an emergency fund in place.

Thinking about her own experience juggling parenthood and a renowned sporting career as Team GB former long-distance champion and marathon world record holder, Paula Radcliffe MBE is supporting MetLife’s research by sharing her own parenting experiences.

Paula’s story highlights the high stakes when balancing a career with parenthood –particularly for mums. When her daughter, Isla, faced a rare form of ovarian cancer at just 13 years old, Paula was forced to take a step away from competing and punditry to manage multiple stays in the hospital with her ill daughter.

She now urges parents to seriously consider getting insurance to ease any financial strain if the unexpected happens.

This year Isla, now 18, completed the London Marathon in a moment the family said they will cherish forever.

Paula recalls: “When Isla was diagnosed, it triggered a huge range of emotions, including fear, stress and uncertainty of what her and our family’s future would look like. On top of this, I had to make the difficult but necessary decision to step away from my work commitments and TV career as a sports pundit so I could throw myself into the care she needed; directly resulting in a significant loss of income which was hard given I was the main breadwinner at that time.

“Illness and accidents are not something we can prepare for and can happen when we least expect it, so, I urge all families to think about protection products such as ChildShield and consider how they might best prepare should they need to care for loved ones.”

Phil Jeynes, head of individual protection at MetLife UK, adds: “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare when their child becomes seriously ill or injured. And any additional worries about loss of income and extra expenses only compound the worry.”

ChildShield from MetLife is designed to provide financial protection should parents need it – for situations such as having to take time off work to care for their child(ren) – removing some of the stress and worry parents face if their child were to become seriously ill or have an accident.

Practical Paula

Paula Radcliffe shares her top-five tips for working parents

1 Prepare for summer overstimulation

Children are likely to be running around, climbing, and having fun. But with all that energy and excitement comes a greater risk of bumps, bruises, or even more serious injuries like broken bones or sporting mishaps.

2 Share the childcare load

Let’s face it – when kids are feeling unwell or have had a bump or fall, they usually want mum. Sharing the load a bit more at home can really help ease that pressure and make things a little easier all round.

3 Try to have a safety net

None of us like to think about our children facing a serious illness or injury, but having a financial safety net in place can make a huge difference if the unexpected happens.

4 Consider what support you can get

When Isla got sick, I gave up everything to focus solely on her and the treatment she needed.

5 Think about round-the-clock GP access

Doctors appointments aren’t always easy to get quickly and, if illness strikes unexpectedly, this is one of the first touch points parents go to get medical advice. It can create additional stress in not getting answers you’re looking for immediately, so being able to access a GP 24/7 definitely helps alleviate some of that stress and anxiousness.