Sexist attitudes are holding women teachers back in their
careers, stymying their ambition and undermining their
achievements, a women’s conference organised by
the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, has heard.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of those attending the Union’s Women
Teachers’ Consultation Conference today cited sexist attitudes as
the factor most detrimentally affecting women teachers’ career
development.
Over a third (34%) cited discriminatory practices against older
teachers, such as the misuse of capability, as the issue which
most affects older women teachers.
Women at the conference described being asked if they were
planning to get pregnant by managers, being passed over for
promotion or belittled for working part-time, facing greater
barriers to moving into leadership roles and receiving sexist
jokes from pupils and colleagues.
Hundreds of women teachers from across the country gathered in
Birmingham today (5 October) for the NASUWT’s annual Women
Teachers’ Consultation Conference to discuss the challenges they
face and to participate in professional development workshops.
A real-time electronic poll of attendees at the Conference also
found that:
- Just 6% said their school or college is very effective in
supporting teachers’ mental health and wellbeing. 43% said their
school was not effective and a further 24% said their school was
no making any attempts to support teachers’ wellbeing;
- Nearly six in ten (58%) said they think excessive workload is
the main reason for the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.
Chris Keates, General Secretary (Acting) of the
NASUWT, said:
“Women make up the majority of the teaching profession, yet
continue to face discrimination, inequality and sexism in too
many workplaces.
“Whether it is the disproportionate number of older women
teachers facing competence and capability procedures, women
facing hostility and unfair treatment after requesting to work
flexibly or the continued under-representation of women in senior
leadership roles in schools, it is clear that too many women are
facing discrimination because of their gender on a daily basis.
“It was plain from the experiences of teachers at today’s
conference that schools are failing to respect and value the
skills and experience of many women teachers.
“A seismic shift in the attitude of employers and effective
action by Governments is urgently needed to address these
unacceptable practices. Is it any wonder there is a crisis in
teacher supply when such discrimination is rife?”
