The missing statistic in Initial Teacher Education: Experiences and support needs of student teachers who are mothers

[Opening paragraph] Societal and cultural mores relating to women’s domestic and caring roles have been the focus of  feminist  discussion  and  activism  for  decades  (Howard  2020).  Yet,  despite  greater  numbers  of women in employment, and legal reforms improving rights for women, the expectation that mothers  will  take  primary  responsibility  for  the  care  of  children  and  the  domestic  sphere  has  been, as Smith (2015) notes, remarkably consistent. It has been consistent too in leading women to make career decisions around home and family needs, and in allowing men to prioritize work (Coleman 2011).