Quarter of new mothers don't return to work after maternity leave - or quit within a year - due to 'unsupportive' bosses
Some 83 per cent of mothers who left their company within a year of returning blamed a lack of support from their employer for their departure, the study found.
Half of women coming back from maternity leave said they were treated differently upon their return - with a third saying they were treated as if they had taken a break.
Researchers estimate that more than 100,000 mothers each year do not return to their job after maternity leave or quit within a year - at a cost to British businesses of almost £650million.
The study, carried out on 501 UK mothers who returned to work after having a child in the past three years, found that 15 per cent chose not to return to their role at all.
Some 50 per cent of mothers said they made this decision because their company would not consider reasonable adjustments to their role and 33 per cent said they would not allow flexible working to pick children up from nursery.
A further 12 per cent of mothers said they left their employer within a year of returning, with 83 per cent blaming 'poor parenting or return to work policies' for their decision.
More than a third said their company had 'expectations of them that were simply not possible now they were now a parent' and 12 per cent said they were actively discriminated against or were forced out.
Some 57 per cent of all of the mothers polled said they were treated differently or made to feel uncomfortable when they were pregnant or when they returned from maternity leave.
In particular, 36 per cent said they were made to feel as if their maternity leave was a 'break' and 16 per cent said it was implied they were no longer giving their all now they were a parent.
Out of the approximately 590,000 mothers who go on maternity leave each year, 27 per cent do not return to work or leave within a year, the study found.
This equates to 105,669 mothers annually who do not return because of their employer's policies - with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development estimating this costs businesses £647million each year based on the average cost of filling a vacancy.
Sophie Maunder - a maternity leave expert and founder of Matri Maternity Coaching, which commissioned the study - said the findings 'paint a worryingly bleak picture'.
She said: 'Mothers are not asking for the world - they generally want some practical flexibility that allows them to both work and be a parent, and for their employers to be supportive and understand that some give and take is required.
'When businesses do not offer this, they ultimately end up losing talent and have to fork out to replace those who leave.'
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