Part-time women teachers- having it all? (First)

Working part-time might be regarded by some as ‘having it all’ in terms of a paid career alongside family life. However, the chances of becoming a senior leader in schools are slim for women who work part-time, highlighting an inequality around leadership. This chapter explores reasons for this inequality from the perspective of women teachers who work part-time. Rich life history data were gathered about their day-to-day lives and their relationships with career progression. Novel findings emerged which highlighted that for part-time women teachers ‘having it all’ was not what they hoped it would be. The impact of not working full-time on their careers was combined with the affective responses of guilt, stress and anxiety from juggling heavy workloads both at home and at work. The explorations have highlighted how being a mother and a part-time teacher influences choices and decision-making in relation to career progression. Crucially, the chapter highlights that changes are required in the way part-time teachers work if they are to be happy and successful in combining their workload with family life. The COVID-19 era has provided an unexpected momentum for such changes across the wider workforce which the teaching profession cannot afford to ignore if it is not to be left behind with respect to flexible working practices.