Doing the Washing Up Badly!

The MTPT Project is not a research organisation, however we are the largest network and only charity in the UK exploring the motherhood penalty in education and addressing some of its causes and effects.  

Since 2017 we have been conducting research into teachers on maternity leave and women aged 30-39 who have either stayed in, or left teaching.

We are now also excited to share the findings of our 2018-2021 research into female teachers aged 30-39, where we hear from our 1,000 survey respondents and 70+ interview participants. 

These reports are a pre-cursor to the 2024 Missing Mothers report, a collaboration between independent think tank, The New Britain Project and The MTPT Project.

If you are completing an MA, PhD, EdDoc or any other research that has a crossover with the interests of The MTPT Project, and would like to talk about your study, share surveys or support with recruiting qualitative interview participants please get in contact. 

Bonus Research!

Insight into our community through analysis of smaller data sets, surveys and informal polls.

Coaching Impact Survey 2018-2020

Feedback from 1:1 coaching participants who began their coaching between 2018-2020.

Women Aged 30-39: why are they the largest demographic to leave teaching every year?

03. What Did We Find Out?

Initial findings from the 1,016 survey responses.

Women who left teaching aged 30-39 who are mothers

The following set of reports focuses on female teachers who were either mothers at the time they left teaching aged 30-39, or for whom plans for future motherhood influenced their decision to leave.

06. We’re on a Road to Nowhere

The impact of professional development and progression opportunities on mothers’ decision to leave teaching aged 30-39.

09. Take Good Care of My Baby

Experiences of childcare and how cost and logistics in particular act as a barrier to teacher-mothers, influencing their decision to leave.

Our research informs our work!  In response to the six reports focusing on how the motherhood penalty has influenced teachers’ decision to leave the profession, we have taken the following action: 

• • Created a podcast series, Motherhood and Leadership, in collaboration with Voicing Education to provide mother-teachers aspiring to leadership with pragmatic and aspirational role models. 
  • Continued, and created more coverage for, our bi-annual #mentorme #letmementor campaign on Twitter and Instagram.
  • Included a webinar in our Mother of All Pay Gaps… and what we can do about it conference focusing specifically on the importance of mentoring for mother-teachers.
  • Included the goal to ‘campaign for more affordable and logistically compatible childcare for teachers, which also pays early years staff a competitive wage’ on our 10 point manifesto for lobbying work between 2022-2024. 
  • Published summary versions of these reports in the TES, Impact Journal and HWRK magazine to raise awareness of these issues. 
  • Increased school, MAT, union and TSH engagement with workshops and programmes that support mother-teachers in the immediate return to work period. 
  • Extended our group coaching offer to include the extended return to work period and support parent-teachers with young families.

Women aged 30-39 who are mothers and have remained in teaching

The following set of reports focuses on mothers who were still teaching aged 30-39.