I have currently got some temporary work in a British university (which for obvious reasons had better remain nameless). The student newspaper was running a story recently about the problems of students who were mothers and the following are some extracts:

XXX, a 20-year old student at [university] was told that there was up to a two-year waiting list for the [university] nursery
...
When asked about the issue, XXX, dean of students, acknowledged the need to provide childcare for students, but said it wasn’t top of their list of priorities.

He said: “All colleges are crying out for additional space, some would argue why this precious space (nursery) is being taken up at [college site].

“Childcare is incredibly important for some students, but I don’t think nursery provisions is necessarily the best way to deal with it. It’s hugely expensive”, he added.

There are 3,820 staff members and 18,052 students at [university], but only 34 places in the university day nursery.

The complacency of the (male) dean is breathtaking: even the current inadequate provision seems almost too much for him, and he noticeably isn’t interested in suggesting any alternatives. The message seems clear: as the cover-line of the newspaper puts it: ‘Mums need not apply’.

This article particularly wound me up because the university had just been making an enormous fuss about a ‘diversity event’ the same week, including individual mail-outs to all staff. There is a lot of stress in the university generally on inclusivity, with regular workshops on disability awareness, a new working group to counter homophobia etc. Black or white, gay or straight, able-bodies or with disabilities, my university wants you: just as long as you don’t have inconvenient children in tow.