Was she wrongfully dismissed?
Gozen Soydag, a Christian counselor in England, is challenging her dismissal from St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls in North London through an employment tribunal. Soydag, who worked as a pastoral manager, was fired in February 2023 after complaints about her social media content, which promoted traditional Christian views on marriage and family. She argues that her beliefs were unfairly deemed incompatible with the school’s ethos, despite her position aligning with the Catholic values the school professes.
Soydag’s Instagram account, @wifeinthewaiting, encourages Christian women to follow biblical teachings on marriage, including a post about wives submitting to their husbands, which drew criticism from school officials. After a meeting in February 2023, Soydag was asked to remove certain content and make her social media profiles less accessible. She complied, but was still dismissed shortly afterward, with the school citing her online presence as conflicting with its mission.
Soydag disputes the school’s reasoning for her termination, stating that her views on marriage are consistent with the Catholic teachings the school espouses. She also expressed confusion, noting that she had been praised for her work before the issue arose. She argues that her social media accounts were directed at adults and never intended for students, and she believes the dismissal was a result of her Christian beliefs being misunderstood.
Her legal team, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, is claiming that her dismissal violated her employment rights under the Employment Rights Act 1996, as she had not received a finalized employment contract before being let go. Soydag is seeking compensation for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract. The case highlights concerns over the growing pressure for religious institutions to adopt secular values, especially in the workplace.
In her statement, Soydag questioned the authenticity of diversity initiatives, arguing that if her views aligned with secular ideologies, she would have been celebrated rather than fired. She emphasized that her social media work was meant to offer support to Christian women, and she had never received any complaints about her conduct before the social media controversy.