The Need for Equity in Education for Those Trying to Conceive

The journey to parenthood isn’t always straightforward, with assisted conception being a route for many couples and individuals. 

1 in 6 people in the UK are infertile, and in the last 10 years there has been an increase in women in same sex relationships looking to assisted conception for support to grow their families, as well a significant rise in those deciding to head down the route of fertility treatment to become a solo parent.

Female employees need time out of work to access fertility treatment

Male infertility accounts for 50% of infertility, nevertheless it’s women who require the time out of work to attend clinic appointments for scans and surgery.

The Teachers’ Fertility Treatment Survey is the first ever survey of its kind, gathering data from female teachers (including those who have left education) that have accessed assisted conception in the past 10 years. Data collected from the survey will provide an accurate insight of what is happening in schools in England and Wales as we unearth:

• How career progression of these women has been affected
• The percentage of schools that have fertility policies in place 
• The impact of the support and the lack of support on female staff accessing assisted conception
• The wellbeing of staff members receiving fertility treatment 

Employees can be surprised to learn that assisted conception in most school HR policies is referred to as ‘elective treatment’, meaning they find themselves compared with someone who wishes to have a breast enhancement during term time. 

Categorising fertility treatment as elective is outdated. 

The word ‘elective’ implies that fertility treatment is a lifestyle choice. This is discriminative terminology towards those with the disease of infertility and also to those in same sex relationships and who need assisted conception to have a biological child, or women who require treatment to become a solo parent for reasons such as having no partner, or having recently come out of a long term relationship.

Why we need assisted conception policies in the workplace

We need assisted conception policies in every workplace. In schools this policy will ensure that all teachers who are trying to conceive, no matter what their circumstance, are included, protected and supported. 

Thousands of teachers are leaving the teaching profession every year, due to burn out or a change in personal circumstance. Some of these teachers leave education due to a dip in ambition following a lack of support following fertility treatment.

How to make policy inclusive and equitable for all employees

When writing your fertility workplace policy consider the following to avoid discrimination:

• Use non-gender specific language
• Allow partners (or those supporting someone who has no partner) to attend all fertility appointments. 
• Be cautious not to discriminate against relationship status
• Be mindful of the sexual orientation of colleagues when writing a workplace fertility policy
• Be inclusive of the ages of those opting into assisted conception
• Avoid putting a limit on time off per cycle, everyone will need a different amount of time dependent on their personal circumstances—no two fertility journeys are the same

Life beyond the policy

A workplace fertility policy is a great starting point for schools wishing to be supportive of their staff who’re trying to conceive. There is however still work to be done from here.

To find out about the work Fertility Issues in Teaching offer, you can get in touch through the website, where you’ll also find helpful blog posts and information around free upcoming webinars.