EMILY PRINGLE, ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, LINCOLN, UK; REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE, THE MATERNITY TEACHER PATERNITY TEACHER (MTPT) PROJECT
The motherhood penalty is rife in education (Williams, 2025; The New Britain Project and The MTPT Project, 2024). A large proportion of leaving teachers are women aged between 30 and 39 (Teacher Tapp, 2025), which demonstrates a clear systemic issue. Women experience systematic disadvantages in the workplace as a direct result of becoming mothers. Inflexible working makes it difficult for women to adjust to their new responsibilities on their return, which in turn can lead to more part-time working patterns, resulting in limited opportunities for progression and leadership. This often stems from assumptions that mothers are not ambitious or are less committed, whether they are part-time or not. Logistical barriers are also an issue, contributing towards an increased emotional and mental load and often leading to burnout or a loss of confidence or identity
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