The aim of this paper is to assess how mothers’ education affects their experience of mother-hood and parenthood. The selected topic is based on the theoretical views of selected authorswho deal with the issue of motivation and experience of maternity and parental leave. Thecore of the paper is an evaluation of primary research aimed at the motivation and perceptionof maternity and parental leave in relation to the degree of education achieved by womenmothers. The sub-objectives of the research were to analyse and evaluate the motivationalfactors for mothers’ return to the labour market and the related concerns about the loss ofprofessional skills and competences. The contribution of the article is the comparison oftheoretical background with the results of primary research, which are significantly comple-mentary and thus expand the knowledge from the Czech environment.