‘I’m so much more myself now, coming back to work’ - working class mothers, paid work and childcare.

want something, you know, you have to work for it, you can’t just sit there and
expect it to fall in your hands. (Diana, three children, black Caribbean, lone
mother, pt post office worker)

I just like to work and, yeah, sort of, build myself up a bit more with my
children. (Natasha, two children, black Caribbean, lone mother, at home)

We have also identified a group of mothers who have come to the UK fairly recently
as migrants and who consider their (full-time) participation in the labour market as
crucial in building the family’s new life in Britain. For the recently arrived parents,
their labour is key to establishing their family unit in London as a self-sufficient and
secure one. Below Peta, Agnes and Nisrine, all recent migrants to Britain talk about
their decisions to go back to work after the birth of their first child:

Because I believe that I need to have some qualifications just to make my
future good, and my son’s future good as well. [] So I decide that even if...
even it’s hard like today now, I decide that I have to manage to do everything
now. (Peta, one child, black African, married, ft student nurse)

We had difficult also because, you know, [my husband and I] work together []
it’s my decision how long I’m working. And, of course, if I’m not working all
day our income is much lower. (Agnes, one child, white other, married, ft self-
employed)

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