No teacher left behind

Nadeine Asbali finds that the lack of progression for mothers in the teaching profession is creating a new gender gap

- Nadeine Asbali

Nadiya, a modern languages teacher from London, had just been offered a promotion when she found out she was pregnant. Having been at her school for nearly two years, she was eager for professional progress. She'd also always wanted children. But when she got a positive pregnancy result, her heart sank a little at the timing. These two exciting developments in her life suddenly felt incompatible. Something had to give, and she knew it would be her career.

"My school doesn't offer part-time roles at all," she says. "Every woman who's had a baby has ended up leaving after maternity leave for a school that's more flexible. I feel upset and disappointed that I'll have to do the same."

On paper, teaching is a job that should be well-matched to starting a family. There are the long summer holidays. The fixed hours. Knowing how to deal with your future children's maths homework. But it's not quite as straightforward. According to employment agency Reed, the average teacher salary is £31,000 a year. With the cost of childcare skyrocketing in line with inflation, a full-time nursery place can now set you back upwards of £1,000 a month more than many households spend on their rent or mortgage. Clearly, this is simply not feasible for many, and it's often the careers of women that pay the price.

Across sectors, women with children are facing a crisis when it comes to balancing work with the ever-rising cost of childcare. We are being pushed out of the workforce, our choice to return to work stripped from us by economic factors out of our control. For the first time in modern history, the number of women not returning to work after having a baby has risen - as much as 13 per cent in the last year alone among women aged 25 to 34.