Parents vs Careers
Can Work and Motherhood Actually Fit Together?
Ambition, part time work, the mental load and the quiet reshaping of working life after children.
Motherhood and ambitionWork and identity
Topic
Motherhood and identity
What changes in us when we become mothers.
Conversations on this
Useful things on this
Books, people, organisations and research from our resource library.
Who's changing things?
Five Hour Club
Rethinking what a working day can look like for parents, with professional roles designed to fit between the school runs.
Who's changing things?
Timewise
Working with employers to prove that flexibility can be designed into good jobs, rather than added as an afterthought.
Read this
Start With Yourself
Emma Grede
For anyone questioning what success should look like now. A practical take on ambition, work and building a life on your own terms.
Explore the book(opens in a new tab)From: Parents vs Careers: Can Work and Motherhood Actually Fit Together?
Read this
The Motherhood Penalty
Joeli Brearley
Why motherhood still changes women's working lives so dramatically, and what needs to change.
Explore the book(opens in a new tab)From: Parents vs Careers: Can Work and Motherhood Actually Fit Together?
Useful right now
Working Families
Practical advice for parents navigating work, caring responsibilities and flexible working.
Their guidance covers flexible-working requests, changing working patterns, negotiating with employers and what to do if a request is refused.
The bigger picture
6 in 10
mothers granted flexible working say their workload stays exactly the same.
Pregnant Then Screwed, State of the Nation 2026