2026
Evidence
37 items · 2016–2026
In public
Press interviews, writing for a general audience, broadcast appearances and evidence given to government.
Nothing here matches.
2026
2026
Press
'It's Funny That We All Have The Same Experiences': Woman's Take On Mental Load In Relationships Leaves Men Angry And Women Feeling Seen
boredpanda.com, August 2026: Interviewed on why the invisible planning and remembering that keeps a home running falls to women, and why sharing whole domains works better than handing out individual tasks.
2026
Evidence
Presentation to the Central Analysis and Science Strategy, Department for Work & Pensions
Virtual, August 2026: Presentation to the Central Analysis and Science Strategy, Department for Work & Pensions.
2026
Press
Too old to get a job, too young to retire – the frightening rise of the NERs where midlife women are stuck in limbo
thesun.co.uk, Mar 2026: WHY are so many midlife women stuck in the worrying limbo of Neither Employed nor Retired?
2026
Press
'I Don't Want To Be His Mother': Man Wants To Move Straight From Mom's House Into GF's Without Learning A Single Chore, Gets A Reality Check
boredpanda.com, January 2026: Bored Panda spoke to Helen Kowalewska, an assistant professor in social policy at the University of Bath, whose recent research revealed that the “mental load” of managing households still falls mainly on women, even when they work full-time or out-earn their partners.
2026
Writing
Maternity Leave as 'Right' or 'Risk'? How Employers Justify Support or Resistance
socialpolicyblog.co.uk, January 2026: Maternity leave is a cornerstone of the welfare state and a long-established right in the UK and nearly all high-income countries. Yet despite formal entitlements, many women still report being sidelined or penalised for taking maternity leave. Why does this gap between policy and practice persist?
2026
Press
What's 'Women's Christmas?' A unique Irish tradition that honors women after the holidays on January 6
scoop.upworthy.com, January 2026: Jane Casey revealed that holidays often have ‘misogynistic’ roots due to the excessive labour women take on.
2025
2025
Talk
Designed and delivered a talk to Year 12 Sociology students across four UK schools
November 2025: This talk, delivered in conjunction with the University of Bath’s undergraduate recruitment team, was open to current Year 12 sociology students interested in studying the discipline at Bath. It covered general admissions information as well as more specific research on gender and work within the discipline of sociology.
2025
Writing
Earning more doesn't lighten mothers' mental loads – they do more regardless
theconversation.com, November 2025: Our new research shows the “mental load” of managing a household on a daily basis falls disproportionately to mothers. This means all the remembering, planning, anticipating and organising that keeps family life running “sticks” to mothers in partnered, heterosexual couples even when they work full-time, earn high incomes, or are the family breadwinner.
2025
Broadcast
Guest on The Last Show with David Cooper
podcasts.apple.com, September 2025: Dr Helen Kowalewska goes over her study exposing UK employers’ hidden bias against maternity leave.
2025
Press
UK employers admit to avoiding hiring pregnant women, study reveals
peoplemanagement.co.uk, September 2025: Discriminatory attitudes towards maternity leave remain widespread, with some UK businesses admitting to avoiding hiring pregnant women, new research has revealed.
2025
Press
'I wouldn't recruit her': new study finds that UK managers are biased against pregnant applicants
stylist.co.uk, September 2025: New research has found that pregnant women face bias from some employers when applying for new roles.
2025
Writing
Contributor to Breadwinners: and other power imbalances that influence your life
canongate.co.uk, August 2025: Interviewed for Melissa Hogenboom’s book on power imbalances in couples and workplaces, which draws on my research on female breadwinners.
2025
Evidence
Presentation to the Department for Work & Pensions Link Seminar Series
Virtual, July 2025: Presentation to the Department for Work & Pensions Link Seminar Series.
2025
Press
2025
Broadcast
Guest on The Sociology Staffroom podcast
podcasts.apple.com, April 2025: Guest on The Sociology Staffroom podcast, season 3 episode 10, on gender, employment and social policy.
Description
Sociology lecturer at the University of Bath, Helen Kowalewska, joins Katie in the Sociology
Staffroom to discuss her research into the impact of social policy on women and gender
inequality. They discuss Helen’s most recent research into women over the age of 60 (including
the WASPI women) and the different research methods that she has employed. They talk about the
often double-edged nature of social policy that can on the one hand help women but in other
respects reinforce patriarchal assumptions (e.g. maternity leave). They also consider some of
the reasons for why there has not been more progress towards gender equality.
2025
Talk
Presentation to the Centre for Social Inequality Studies Sociology Seminar Series
r.unitn.it, February 2025: Presentation to the Centre for Social Inequality Studies Sociology Seminar Series, University of Trento, Italy.
Abstract
One in two adult women across Europe is aged 50 and over. Despite more of these ‘older’ women seeking, wanting, or needing employment, little is known about women’s job loss and job-seeking experiences at this life stage. How do women aged 50+ experience and narrate labour market re-entry? Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with thirty-six women in England in their 50s and 60s transitioning from ‘inactivity’ or unemployment back into paid work, this study explores the institutional, structural, and personal barriers they face.
Key findings reveal participants often feel overlooked and undervalued by employers, confronting convoluted application processes, preferences for recent experience over transferable skills, and stereotypes that they are less ‘malleable’ than younger workers. Interactions with Job Centre services are frequently negative. Furthermore, many grapple with anxieties around health, cognitive decline, technological know-how, and career gaps – and yet those with more experience report this is sometimes seen as a ‘threat’ rather than an asset. Unpaid caregiving, community work, and heavy domestic loads further undermine job-search strategies.
These factors leave many older women feeling marginalised in the labour market and undervalued by employers – as well as their families – despite their considerable skills and unrealised potential. Findings highlight the need for targeted policy responses, including better access to training, career coaching, tailored job search support, more flexible working arrangements, and improved coordination across employment, health, and housing services. Altogether, the study advances understanding of how gendered ageism, cumulative disadvantage, and life course dynamics combine to shape older women’s labour market re-entry.
2025
Press
Social Policy Courses
prospects.ac.uk, January 2025: If you’d like to dedicate your career to addressing social problems and improving people’s lives then consider studying a social or public policy course.
2023
2023
Press
Closing accounting's gender pay gap
financialaccountant.co.uk, July 2023: Interviewed for: Closing accounting’s gender pay gap.
2023
Writing
Couples in which the woman is the only earner report lower life satisfaction – new research
theconversation.com, July 2023: Author of: Couples in which the woman is the only earner report lower life satisfaction – new research.
2023
Press
Unemployed men prefer their partner to be out of work, study finds
independent.co.uk, June 2023: Interviewed for: Unemployed men prefer their partner to be out of work, study finds.
2023
Press
30 per cent of staff earning over £63k-a-year at Russell Group unis are women
thetab.com, February 2023: 30 per cent of staff earning over £63k-a-year at Russell Group unis are women.
2023
Writing
Gender pay gap is bigger for some women than others – here’s how to work it out
theconversation.com, February 2023: Author of: Gender pay gap is bigger for some women than others – here’s how to work it out.
2023
Talk
Author Meets Readers event for Prof. Claudia Goldin’s book Career & Family: Women's Century-Long Journey Toward Equity, Work and Family Research Network
Google Drive Upload, January 2023: Panel member, Author Meets Readers event for Prof. Claudia Goldin’s book Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey Toward Equity, Work and Family Research Network.
Abstract
This WFRN Virtual Conference Series plenary session invites discussion from both author and
readers of Dr Claudia Goldin’s book, Career & Family: Women’s Century Long Journey Towards
Equity (Princeton University Press, 2021). Drs Mary Blair-Loy, Janet Gornick, Helen Kowalewska,
Kris Marsh and Berkay Özcan serve on the panel of readers. Dr Goldin begins the session with
short remarks about the book, each panellist provides six to eight minutes of reflection on the
manuscript, and Dr Goldin then responds to the readers’ comments. The expert panellists then
engage in a moderated panel discussion, after which the conversation opens to questions and
comments from event participants.
2021
2021
Writing
How Do We Get More Women on Company Boards?
futurumcareers.com, August 2021: Teaching resource and activity sheet for schools, Key stages 3, 4, and 5 in gender studies, citizenship, and sociology.
2021
Broadcast
Family Policies, Quotas, and Gender Diversity with Dr Helen Kowalewska
youtube.com, 25 May 2021: Interview for the Video Abstract Series.
2020
2020
Writing
Female-Breadwinner Families on the Breadline.
population-europe.eu, 9 December 2020: Policy Insight for Population Europe.
2020
Press
Bringing women on board: How government policies can improve gender diversity in top jobs
inet.ox.ac.uk, 10 December 2020: The issue of women’s board membership has become hotly contested in recent years. Achieving a ‘critical mass’ of women on boards matters because these jobs carry various benefits, from job satisfaction to high pay and status. Bringing more women into positions of power can also lead to more ‘women-friendly’ workplaces, with less sexual harassment, more developed work-family supports, and better pay for women at lower levels.
2020
Writing
Female-Breadwinner Families on the Breadline
population-europe.eu, 09 December 2020: The gendered division of paid and unpaid work within couples has transformed across industrialised countries in recent decades. In analysing this change, policymakers and academics have endorsed the ‘social investment’ agenda, promoting a shift from male-breadwinning to ‘dual-breadwinning’ among partners (e.g. Esping-Andersen, 1999; Gornick and Meyers, 2009).
2020
Press
20th November is Equal Pay Day
inet.ox.ac.uk, 20 November 2020: Today is ‘Equal Pay Day’, meaning that from today until the end of the year, women will effectively work for free because of the UK’s gender pay gap. Women working full time earn, on average, 11.5% less than men – this is the equivalent to around six weeks of lost pay, which covers the period from today until December 31st.
2019
2019
Writing
Bringing Women on Board(s) to Create ‘Women-Friendly’ Workplaces
socialpolicyblog.com, 16 December 2019: While debates on bringing more women onto companies’ boards have raged for many years, they have really gained traction since the early-2010s. Arguments in favour of gender-diverse boards generally focus on the business case or justice and equality. My article draws attention to another important but often overlooked benefit: the creation of more ‘women-friendly’ workplaces.
2019
Writing
My Southampton Research Journey: From Undergrad to Postdoc
southcoastdtp.ac.uk, 4 September 2019: Dr Helen Kowalewska is a Post-doctoral Fellow funded by the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership and based in the Social Statistics and Demography Department at the University of Southampton. Her research looks at the relationship between labour market and family policies and women’s employment position across advanced economies.
2019
Press
2019
Press
UK households where women are sole earner significantly poorer than in US and western Europe, research finds.
independent.co.uk, 1 May 2019: UK households where women are sole earner significantly poorer than in US and western Europe, research finds.
2019
Press
2019
Press
Female breadwinner households ‘significantly poorer’
workingmums.co.uk, 25 April 2019: Households in the UK where the woman is the sole earner are significantly poorer than those where the man is the only breadwinner, bucking the trend in western Europe, according to new research.
2016
2016
Writing
What women don’t want: how many countries still ‘mummy track’ women
blog.esrc.ac.uk, 22 November 2016: Women earn 33 per cent less than men on average by the time their first child is 12 years old, according to a recent report on the UK. This is mainly because women are more likely than men to take career breaks for children and return as mothers to work in more poorly paid ‘flexible’ and part-time ‘mummy track’ careers that are often well below their skill level.