Abstract
The gender pay gap (13.7% in 2022 in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector) provides an overall snapshot of gender inequality in a specific setting. The causes of the gender pay gap are multifaceted but inextricably linked to the transition to parenthood. However, despite the transformative potential of family leave policy and practice as a strategy to progress gender equality, there has been less focus on HEIs' approaches to supporting transition to parenthood as a strategy to tackle the gender pay gap. I employ the Capability Approach (CA) combined with a discursive conceptualisation of gender to explore how gender norms shape parents' decision-making within university workplace cultural contexts. This study contributes evidence of incongruence between parents' gender justice aspirations, their experiences and HE employer gender justice strategies. The study identifies the need to explore how gender justice is framed, and translated in practice, within HE employer EDI strategies.