Still ‘a Good Job for a Woman’? Women Teachers' Experiences of Modernization in England and Wales

This article examines women teachers' experiences of modernization in schools in England and Wales. The article explores the impact of modernization on their work and non‐work lives and why, in some cases, modernization has made it impossible for them to remain in the occupation. The evidence presented suggests that modernization has resulted in the intensification and extensification of teaching to such an extent that it is increasingly difficult to combine a teaching career with primary family care responsibilities. Given that teaching is a female‐dominated occupation, this has serious implications for government education policy. We argue that the modernization project in the UK has been a driving force for the adverse gender impact that is undermining equality of opportunity for women teachers.