In this episode, Ruth Winden, Careers with Research Consultant at the University of Leeds, speaks to Dr Elizabeth Faulkner and Dr Cathal Rogers about the UK's Higher Education sector and its systemic inequalities for researchers who return to their research careers after maternity leave.
Following a nation-wide Freedom of Information request to 130 Higher Education institutions in the UK, Elizabeth and Cathal undertook painstaking analysis of universities' maternity leave policies for researchers.
They published their findings in this Open Access article: Faulkner, E.A and Rogers, C (2025) Confronting the lack of support for academics returning to research from maternity leave in UK higher education; Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, pp. 1–23.
Elizabeth and Cathal are now researching the topic further - watch the space.
Key highlights:
1️⃣ There are many inconsistencies across UK HE in support for returning researchers
2️⃣ Disparity isn’t directly linked to the size or research-intensity of institutions
3️⃣ Gender inequality still impacts career progression negatively
4️⃣ Practical Recommendations: codifying existing support, making policies accessible and visible, establishing minimum standards of support, giving tailored guidance for managers, and explicitly considering maternity leave in promotion assessments
Episode references:
REF - The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK's system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers.
Athena Swan - The Athena Swan Charter is a framework used globally to achieve gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.
EDI - Equality, Diversity, Inclusion
FOI - Freedom of Information (the UK's national policy about the right to request information) https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request
UK support organisations for pregnancy loss: the Miscarriage Association, Tommy's, the NHS
Contact/Resources:
Dr Elizabeth Faulkner, Lecturer & Director of Childcare Law and Practice (CCLP), University of Keele: University profile and LinkedIn profile
Dr Cathal Rogers, Research Culture & Assessment Manager, University of Manchester,University link and LinkedIn profile
Research article: Faulkner, E.A and Rogers, C (2025) Confronting the lack
