The one thing that will help working mums close the income gap

Childcare is one of the biggest issues for working parents - and balancing its cost can often come at the cost of one's career.

Now a study has shown that until employers allow employees with kids to be more flexible with their working hours, mums' earning power will suffer. Mums with flexible working hours are likely to earn more money, according to the study, helping to close the wage gap between mums and women who don't have children. Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada used data from 20,879 women aged between 24 and 44, of whom 58 per cent were mothers. The information came from Statistics Canada’s Workplace and Employee survey between 1999 and 2005. They found that the income gap closed by 68 per cent when women had flexible hours and 58 per cent when the women were allowed to work from home. Letting parents work from home or work outside of typical office hours can alleviate childcare costs and make it easier to have a career while raising a family. The study's lead author, sociology professor Sylvia Fuller, said that employers should consider flexible working hours to ensure equality among women. She believes that accommodating workers who have children can also benefit the employer. "Flexibility might not be possible for all jobs, but it is appreciated by workers generally and make good business sense in terms of attracting and retaining highly qualified employees," Fuller says. "Not only does flexibility make it easier for mothers to do well in their jobs, but it also alleviates concern from the employer that they’ll be able to." The study was published in the journal Work and Occupations.