The State of Working Motherhood 2026: The 7 Forces Reshaping Your Life and Business

WorkingMama · Annual Report · 2026

WorkingMama  ·  February 2026  ·  8 min read

2026 is the most significant year for working mothers and female founders in a generation. The ground has shifted economically, culturally, and technologically, in ways that simultaneously create the greatest opportunity and the greatest pressure that mothers in business have ever faced. Here is why that matters, and exactly what it means for you.

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References & Further Reading

1. Trend 1 — Female Entrepreneurship Explosion

   Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) 2024 —  Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (via UCT)

   Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM): Women's Entrepreneurship 2023/2024 Report — gemconsortium.org

   National Women's Business Council (NWBC) Annual Report —  nwbc.gov/annual-reports/2024
   

2. Trend 2 — Flexibility Crisis & RTO Fallout

   RecruitMyMom: Working Women in South Africa Report 2025 — recruitmymom.co.za

   Statistics South Africa: Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) Q2 & Q3 2025 — Gender Gaps & Inactivity supplements —statssa.gov.za

   Old Mutual: Savings and Investment Monitor 2025 — Poly-jobber trend among SA women — oldmutual.co.za/savings-monitor
   

3. Trend 3 — AI as the Great Equalizer

   BCG: How People Create and Destroy Value with GenAI (2024) — bcg.com/publications

   Microsoft & LinkedIn: Work Trend Index 2024 — microsoft.com/worklab/work-trend-index

   Dell Technologies / Ipsos: AI & Productivity in Small Business (2024) — dell.com/perspectives/ai-report

   
   

4. Trend 4 — Childcare Cost Catastrophe

   Household Affordability Index: January 2026 — Child nutrition costs & Child Support Grant analysis — pmbejd.org.za/household-affordability-index

   Department of Social Development: ECD Registration & Quality Assurance Report 2025 — dsd.gov.za/early-childhood-development

   OECD Family Database:PF3.4 Childcare Support oecd.org/els/family/database

   
   

5. Trend 5 — Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship

   Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 — edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer

   NielsenIQ: Sustainability & Consumer Behaviour Report 2024 — nielseniq.com/global/en/insights

   
   

6. Trend 6 — Venture Capital Shifts

   Stellenbosch Business School: Women in SA Angel Investment Report, February 2026 — usb.ac.za/research

   Sygnia / Magda Wierzycka: AI Startup Fund Announcement, February 2026 — sygnia.co.za/media

   Basadi Women Growth Fund: R90m Gender-Lens Debt Funding Programme — businesswomen.co.za/basadi-fund

   African Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (AVCA): Africa VC Report — avca.africa/research-reports

   
   

7. Trend 7 — The Motherhood Penalty Persists

   Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM): Women's Entrepreneurship Report2025/2026 — gemconsortium.org/reports/womens-entrepreneurship

   McKinsey & LeanIn.org: Women in the Workplace 2024 (Maternity Return chapter) — mckinsey.com/featured-insights

   Pregnant Then Screwed UK: Annual Survey of Pregnancy & Maternity Discrimination 2024 — pregnantthenscrewed.com/research