By . Ben Spencer and Mark Howarth . PUBLISHED: . 20:10 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:21 EST, 13 December 2013 . Britain's stay-at-home mothers feel under twice as much financial pressure as those in Europe, research has found. The findings will be seen as a damning indictment of British policy, which offers little relief to women who choose to look after their children full-time. Their numbers are now at an all-time low, plunging by nearly 50,000 in the country last year alone. Critics say the Government has made the situation worse by reducing child benefit and tax credits, and instead choosing to back working mothers. Tom, 38 and Erika Birch, 30, and their children Jackson, two and seven-year-old Maddie at home in Bath. Mr Birch, whose wife stays at home to care for their children, said it is 'ridiculous' they do not get more support from the government . The new paper, published in the European Sociological Review, finds that British women who do not work feel far less secure than their counterparts in Europe. Researchers tracked the fortunes of more than 36,000 women in five countries, including the UK. Women in France, Italy and Ireland who chose not to work were twice as likely to be ‘financially satisfied’, compared with those in Britain. The paper concluded that commitment to family is more important than careers to women across the continent. Most other European countries encourage women to take time out of their careers to look after their children. In Germany, the government pays parents up to £1,520 a month to do so, in ‘compensation’ for lost earnings. Campaign group Mothers At Home Matter said the study shows that motherhood is undervalued in Britain. Its secretary, Lynne Burnham, said: ‘We really have lost something as a society in Britain when motherhood is denigrated and the traditional family unit means far less than in countries on the continent.’ The study drew on surveys carried out between 1994 and 2001,  which asked women to rate their financial satisfaction on a scale of one to six. Researchers found that full-time employment tended to give women the best sense of security, but a large salary was not the only key to contentment. In France, Italy and Ireland, homemakers felt just as financially satisfied as those in full-time work. But the same phenomenon could not be seen in the UK,  which had the unhappiest homemakers. The paper, by researchers at Italy’s University of Trento, said: ‘It seems that for Italy, France, and Ireland, being a committed housewife is practically equivalent to being continuously employed. In Denmark and the United Kingdom, however, the same association is not found.’ David Cameron has come under pressure to introduce transferable tax allowances that would mean a full-time mother could give her income tax-free allowance to a working father . Tom Birch, whose wife Erika stays at home and looks after their two children Maddie, two, and four-year-old Jackson, said it was ‘ridiculous’ that they did not get more support from the Government. The 40-year-old from Bath, a senior manager at a financial services company, added: ‘We pay tax and National Insurance and she should be getting all the benefits a person on a low income is getting.’ David Cameron has come under pressure to introduce transferable tax allowances that would mean a full-time mother could give her income tax-free allowance to a working father. A limited version for some married couples is due to begin in 2015, but will be worth only £3.85 a week at most. Families in which both parents work, meanwhile, have been given up to £1,200 a year for each child to help with childcare costs. Mrs Burnham said: ‘In government and policy circles, motherhood quite simply doesn’t matter.’ A Government spokesman said: ‘Stay-at-home parents are an important part of life in Britain. We have recognised their contribution properly for the first time in the state pension system as we move to a single-tier pension and will recognise marriage in the tax system.’
Research was published in the European Sociological Review .
Found British women who do not work feel far less secure than their counterparts in Europe .
Study tracked more than 36,000 women in five countries .
Concluded commitment to family is more important than a career to women across the continent .
By . Ben Spencer and Mark Howarth . PUBLISHED: . 20:10 EST, 13 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:21 EST, 13 December 2013 . Britain's stay-at-home mothers feel under twice as much financial pressure as those in Europe, research has found. The findings will be seen as a damning indictment of British policy, which offers little relief to women who choose to look after their children full-time. Their numbers are now at an all-time low, plunging by nearly 50,000 in the country last year alone. Critics say the Government has made the situation worse by reducing child benefit and tax credits, and instead choosing to back working mothers. Tom, 38 and Erika Birch, 30, and their children Jackson, two and seven-year-old Maddie at home in Bath. Mr Birch, whose wife stays at home to care for their children, said it is 'ridiculous' they do not get more support from the government . The new paper, published in the European Sociological Review, finds that British women who do not work feel far less secure than their counterparts in Europe. Researchers tracked the fortunes of more than 36,000 women in five countries, including the UK. Women in France, Italy and Ireland who chose not to work were twice as likely to be ‘financially satisfied’, compared with those in Britain. The paper concluded that commitment to family is more important than careers to women across the continent. Most other European countries encourage women to take time out of their careers to look after their children. In Germany, the government pays parents up to £1,520 a month to do so, in ‘compensation’ for lost earnings. Campaign group Mothers At Home Matter said the study shows that motherhood is undervalued in Britain. Its secretary, Lynne Burnham, said: ‘We really have lost something as a society in Britain when motherhood is denigrated and the traditional family unit means far less than in countries on the continent.’ The study drew on surveys carried out between 1994 and 2001,  which asked women to rate their financial satisfaction on a scale of one to six. Researchers found that full-time employment tended to give women the best sense of security, but a large salary was not the only key to contentment. In France, Italy and Ireland, homemakers felt just as financially satisfied as those in full-time work. But the same phenomenon could not be seen in the UK, which had the unhappiest homemakers. The paper, by researchers at Italy’s University of Trento, said: ‘It seems that for Italy, France, and Ireland, being a committed housewife is practically equivalent to being continuously employed. In Denmark and the United Kingdom, however, the same association is not found.’ David Cameron has come under pressure to introduce transferable tax allowances that would mean a full-time mother could give her income tax-free allowance to a working father . Tom Birch, whose wife Erika stays at home and looks after their two children Maddie, two, and four-year-old Jackson, said it was ‘ridiculous’ that they did not get more support from the Government. The 40-year-old from Bath, a senior manager at a financial services company, added: ‘We pay tax and National Insurance and she should be getting all the benefits a person on a low income is getting.’ David Cameron has come under pressure to introduce transferable tax allowances that would mean a full-time mother could give her income tax-free allowance to a working father. A limited version for some married couples is due to begin in 2015, but will be worth only £3.85 a week at most. Families in which both parents work, meanwhile, have been given up to £1,200 a year for each child to help with childcare costs. Mrs Burnham said: ‘In government and policy circles, motherhood quite simply doesn’t matter.’ A Government spokesman said: ‘Stay-at-home parents are an important part of life in Britain. We have recognised their contribution properly for the first time in the state pension system as we move to a single-tier pension and will recognise marriage in the tax system.’
published in the European Sociological Review, finds that British women who do not work feel far less secure than their counterparts in Europe. 36,000 women in five countries, including the UK. paper concluded that commitment to family is more important than careers to women across the