Is the Education System Rigged Against Working Mothers?

Schools often leave professional women feeling like failures

Unsplash I Elisa Ventur

Just days after I posted this piece on returning to work I ran into a friend at a birthday party our children were attending. She works long hours as a lawyer and was crying foul at the UK education system for its early academic rigour, short school days, and long holiday breaks. My friend felt that her children were at a clear disadvantage to those peers who enjoyed the benefits of at least one parent at home full-time. She went as far as to say that those children with heavy assistance outside of school had moved the goalposts for everyone. Does a rising tide lift all boats, or are those children who lack sufficient support outside of school destined to fall behind?

The reality is that, for a variety of reasons, the brunt of school admin still falls to mothers. Emails, chat groups, homework supervision, and extracurricular management consume tremendous time and energy for working mothers. Combine all of that with managing childcare before and after school and over long holidays where work absences are just not feasible and you have the equivalent of an additional job.

Further, childcare and homecare needs constantly evolve. As young children enter primary school they often need significant assistance with academics and extracurriculars. The requirement for someone truly invested in a child’s long-term well-being becomes greater. Thus, women take a lesser role or drop out of the workforce completely around this point to support their children if it is financially viable.

So how can schools support working women?

• Consider the curriculum — At a young age, regular reading and simple worksheets that promote critical thinking can be effective in small doses as weekday homework. Larger projects should be saved for weekends or holidays when all parents have more time to help their children.
• Keep parent communications and admin simple — Weekly comms relevant to a child’s class year tend to be the right cadence. Sending quick updates between parent-teacher meetings on things that can be immediately addressed also helps. Schools should create a web portal that offers everything in one place: teacher contacts, homework, lunch menus, sports fixture info, payments, etc.
• Schools should try to identify young children’s passions and strengths across academics, sport, and the arts if possible. They should then encourage students to pursue clubs in these areas on campus either during lunchtime or after school so working parents don’t have to facilitate transport to another venue.
• Offer regular review/catch-up sessions for students — This is particularly relevant at the end of long breaks for those who need or want extra support.
• Offer remote conferences and recorded workshops for those parents who cannot make on-site sessions (not always ideal but more efficient for short meetings).
• Increase and enhance wraparound care — Before and after-school clubs (e.g. breakfast club and homework club) and meals should be provided on-site where possible.
• Provide camps and tutorials on-site during holidays — This would both ease the childcare burden and help keep children in a familiar environment.
• Make commuting easier — Schools should facilitate local bus routes and/or carpools when possible. Those with limited parking could offer a teacher-run valet service that helps children in and out of cars as opposed to requiring parents to find parking during busy periods.

Working mothers should not feel they are “leaving their children behind” as they head to the office. If schools streamlined their communications and offered a bit more throughout the year to keep children on campus and engaged, it could be a smoother process on both sides.