Maternal health in Europe is under growing strain, with a major new study revealing widespread mental health challenges, career setbacks and work-life balance pressures faced by mothers across the continent, including in the UK.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 10% of pregnant women and 13% of new mothers worldwide experience mental health conditions, most commonly depression.
However, fresh research by advocacy group Make Mothers Matter suggests the situation in Europe may be significantly worse. The study surveyed 9,600 mothers across 12 European countries and found that more than two-thirds felt mentally overloaded. Over the past year alone, one in three reported anxiety, one in five experienced depression, and nearly one in five suffered from burnout.
The scale of the problem varies by country. Depression was reported by around a third of mothers in Sweden and roughly a quarter in Germany and the UK, while anxiety was especially prevalent in Spain, affecting 42% of respondents. Experts warn that such levels of strain are becoming normalized. Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat of WHO/Europe said maternal mental health challenges are now “the norm, not the exception”, particularly among low-income families, single parents and mothers with young or multiple children.
Beyond emotional wellbeing, motherhood continues to carry serious career penalties. More than a quarter of mothers across all surveyed countries said having a child had negatively affected their career prospects. The figure rose to around one-third in Ireland, the UK and Germany. Alarmingly, 6% of respondents said they were dismissed or forced out of their jobs due to pregnancy or early motherhood, with the highest rates reported in Portugal and the Czech Republic.
Discrimination during recruitment and limited opportunities for promotion were also common. Around 16% of mothers felt they were treated unfairly when applying for jobs, while 30% said their career progression was restricted. Financial consequences followed, with many reporting lost income or missed pay rises.
Workplace pressure combined with childcare challenges has intensified the problem. High childcare costs, particularly in the UK, were cited as a major reason mothers reduced working hours or left the workforce entirely. In contrast, countries with more affordable childcare and flexible work policies saw higher rates of mothers returning to full-time employment.
Experts say solutions are clear but urgently needed. Expanded parental leave, flexible working arrangements, affordable childcare and accessible, stigma-free mental health support must become standard, not optional. Integrating mental health services into routine maternity care and improving workplace protections, they argue, would benefit not only mothers, but children and society as a whole.
