Analysis of the main quantitative findings from our UK motherhood research. 30/07/2026

Motherhood is one of the most significant transitions a woman can experience. It can reshape identity, relationships, priorities and, for many women, how they see the world itself. Yet it remains surprisingly under–researched and is often undervalued in public life.

This report accompanies the Motherhood, Inside Out research project, unpacking its main quantitative findings. In Spring 2026, Theos and the Bible Society commissioned Ipsos to undertake a survey of women aged 18 to 75 across Great Britain. A representative sample of 4,458 women responded to the online survey and, of these, 3,606 women consented to proceed with the survey (having been notified that it contained questions about religion and health). The sample included 2,112 “Mothers”, who we have defined as those who identified themselves as biological mothers, adoptive mothers or step–mothers.

Fieldwork took place between 24th April and 14th May 2026. We asked women how they saw the value of, and economic and cultural support for, parenting, before asking the mothers specifically how their thinking and identity had shifted since having children. The findings reveal that motherhood can transform women from the inside out.

— Changing identity, relationships and community

Over a quarter of mothers (27%) said they were (a lot or a little) less likely to feel valued by society since becoming a mother, while 36% were more likely to feel lonely. Yet the same proportion (36%) said they were more likely to feel authentic or true to themselves, and 34% were more likely to feel connected to their local community since becoming a mum.

— A complex emotional picture was a feature running throughout the data.

Mothers associated childcare itself with a range of emotions. The top positive emotions were rewarding (64%), enjoyable (60%) and heartwarming (57%), and the top negative were challenging (59%), tiring (53%) and exhausting (50%). Other responses included overwhelming (40%), lonely (25%), thought–provoking (24%) and awe–inspiring (20%), reflecting the intensity of the experience for some women.

— Navigating existential and spiritual shifts

Alongside high proportions of mothers who said they thought (a lot or a little) more about family (76%), education (72%) and their local community (52%) since becoming a mother, 65% said they thought more about death, 44% thought more about politics, and 27% thought more about God or spirituality.

— Facing life’s biggest questions

Some 56% of mothers agreed they had engaged in thought–provoking discussions about life’s big questions with their children, rising to 67% among parents of secondary–school–aged children.

The findings also point to motherhood as a political issue, not simply a personal one.

— The economic value of parenting

Some 72% of women agreed that time spent looking after children at home is “as vital to the economy as time spent working in paid employment”. Agreement rose to 78% among mothers, compared with 64% among women who are not parents or guardians.

— Who pays the cost?

Some 76% of women (and 81% of women with a child under 18, compared to 71% of non–parent/guardians) agreed that being a mum can limit career opportunities for women, while only 11% said the same about dads.

— Support for new parents

Some 66% of women agreed that the UK government should do more to support new parents and guardians.

— Motherhood as a politicising experience

Women with children under the age of 18 were consistently more likely than those who are not a parent or legal guardian to feel that new mums do not receive enough in–person support from healthcare professional services (44% vs. 31%), local authorities (53% vs, 43%), and their local/wider community (51% vs. 41%).

— Motherhood rituals

When asked about interest in formal rituals or ceremonies to mark a woman’s transition to motherhood (focusing on them as the mother), 29% were “very” or “fairly” interested. Interest was highest among mothers with a religion (37%), younger mothers aged 18–34 (41%) and mothers of children aged 0–3 (43%) – factors which may be interlinked to various extents.

Taken as a whole, the findings explored in this report speak to a potentially under–supported social role – but as explored further in our separate qualitative report, they also hint at an existential shift that is far more complex and wide–reaching than is acknowledged in ordinary depictions of motherhood, entailing social, political, and even spiritual impacts on the women who go through it.

You can read the report in full here.

About the data

If you want to know more about the survey, undertaken by Ipsos, you can find the data tables here.

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