Returning to work after maternity leave is a major life transition, balancing renewed professional aspirations with new family responsibilities. In the UK, many women confront systemic hurdles when resuming their careers, such as inflexibility and earning gaps. Research from the ONS shows that mothers earn approximately £302 less per week than fathers, nearly one-third less weekly and almost 20% per hour, highlighting long-standing inequalities.
But tech is shifting. The sector is embracing flexibility and skill-based hiring, unlocking pathways for mothers to re-enter the workforce in meaningful, well-paid roles without compromising their family lives.
1. Why Flexible Tech Roles Are Gaining as Mothers Return to Work
A. Flexibility Meets Opportunity
• According to a survey conducted by A New Skills Academy, of parents returning to work 93% found flexible working hours important, 80% had part-time working important, and 90% rated working locally or at home very important.
• Out of the latter, 82% percent of them were thinking of new career options and 73% of them were considering retraining.
B. Support Is Nonetheless Infrequent but Growing More and More Important.
• The Fawcett Society and Totaljobs report on the barriers mothers encounter when returning to work, 84 percent of mothers report facing obstacles to returning work, 30% of them receive no employer support, and many feel a lack of networks in the workplace.
• Such companies as Netflix or Google have reacted to it with prolonging maternity leave and measuring decreased turnover rates after it.
C. Flexible Work Is on the Rise
• In the UK, flexible jobs shot up by 62% at the beginning of 2024, more particularly remote or hybrid jobs, with employers reacting to this increasing demand.
• By 2023, a majority, 60% of employees across the UK already have flexible working arrangements and 36% of all female employees are working in part-time schedules.
D. Tech Companies Offering Career Change Programs
1. Career change programs in IT
Career change programs in IT, such as those offered by Fortray, are designed to help professionals bridge skills gaps, gain hands-on experience, and confidently transition into new tech roles.
2. Top Flexible Tech Roles for Returners in 2025
These are some of the high-potential, flexible roles that are becoming increasingly common with returners:
1. Cloud Support Engineer (Part-Time/Hybrid)
· Cloud Engineer jobs are becoming increasingly modular, which suits a remote or non-commuter’s workday.
2. Data Analyst (Flexible Hours)
· As portfolio projects are prioritized, data work can be well suited to condensed and outcome-oriented part-time jobs.
3. Quality Assurance / Test Engineer (Flexible & Remote)
· Remote Work and Flexible Scheduling Remote work and flexible scheduling are typical in project-based, deadline-driven settings.
4. UX/UI Designer (Part-Time Freelance or Hybrid)
• Creative, performance-oriented role that could be successfully fulfilled at flexible working hours.
3. What Makes These Roles Especially Suitable for Returners?
• Skills-Based Hiring: Studies indicate that AI and other technology positions are placing an emphasis on more practical skills, AI skills command a 23% wage premium, more than traditional degrees.
• Adaptable Models: Those roles that are project-based or remote can be well aligned with childcare hours or part-time requirements.
• Supportive Structures: Returnships, phased returns, and mentorship programmes provide individualised upskilling and reintegration help.
4. How Fortray Supports Your Soft Return (with Upskilling, Not just Role-Matching)
Fortray’s Career Change is uniquely built to serve mothers transitioning into tech:
Feature
Why It Helps Returners
Flexible, Modular Learning
Courses structured in bite-sized sessions to fit around family life.
Phased Skill Walkthrough
Begin with foundational modules (like Cloud Basics) and build up gradually to advanced topics.
Returner-Focused Mentorship
Mentors guide learning with empathy for caregiving pressures, rebuilding confidence segment by segment.
Project-Based Portfolio Building
Create real-world projects in data, QA, or cloud, evidence of capability, not just certificates.
Flexible Learning Models
Options for part-time, hybrid, or remote participation tuned to your schedule preferences.
Returner Community & Peer Support
Connect with others returning from maternity, swapping strategies and encouragement.
5. Make the Transition Work for You: Practical Steps
1. Choose a Flexible Role Fit: Select jobs such as Data Analyst, Cloud Support or UX Design, which are flexible and on the rise.
2. Make A Custom Portfolio: Incline on impact evidence, dashboards, UX wireframes and support logs, not certification only.
3. Small, Scale with Confidence: Start with small learning steps that allow one to build up momentum step by step.
4. Make the Most of Your Rights: You can ask at the first day of the work day to be provided with flexible arrangements, with the Flexible Working Act, you can request flexible arrangements to be provided to you; these may be part-time, job-share, remote, term-time, or even compressed hours.
5. Bargain with humility and conciseness: Demonstrate the benefits of flexible arrangements to you and the employer, present firm examples and plan options.
Conclusion
Coming back to work post maternity does not necessarily mean family versus career. The ability and adaptability are now valuable in technology more than continuous experience. Mothers can re-enter technical work, such as cloud support, data analytics, QA, or UX design, with confidence, capability, and flexibility with focused, human-centred support.
IT Career Change Programs by Fortray is not that you learn some technology, but rather rebuilding your career on your own terms, along with all the help to get you there