Lisa Wolf-Wendel University of Kansas

 Establish why universities should care about work/family policies  Recruitment – focus on Dual Career Couple Policies  Promotion & Retention – focus on needs of academics with children  Future of work/family Policies

 Higher Education is in flux  Academics (future academics) lives are complicated  Institutions of Higher Education are not altruistic

 To recruit, promote and retain best faculty  To address concerns about representation  To raise morale and increase productivity  To create more equitable work places  Pressure from external sources

 Types of “help” › Ad hoc, decentralized › Relocation assistance › Consortia › Shared positions › Creation of non-tenure track positions › Creation of tenure track positions

 Serendipity  Initial hire is really wanted  Quality of second hire  Fit of second hire/needs of unit  Culture and Receptivity of hiring department  Willingness/needs of second hire  Availability of resources

 In Academia – work and family has been an “ either or ” proposition (especially for women)  Could wait to have children….  Could opt not to pursue an academic career  Could opt for a less prestigious position  How do faculty manage work and family?

 Qualitative study  Interviews with 120 women › Variety of institutional types › All with young children, all tenure track › Variety of fields  Interviewed early career (less than five years) and mid career (5-7 years later)  Reviewed institutional policies

 The joy of professional and personal roles  Academic work is flexible, but unending  Having a child makes you efficient  Puts things into perspective

 Buffering  Preoccupation with timing  The second shift is alive and well  Individual agency  Departments determine culture  Policies are important, but underutilized

 Most were successful and thriving  More flexibility, less work stress › Easier to prioritize their interests at work  Parental concerns shift › changing diapers to arranging car pools › Scheduling is a major issue  Not wanting to deal with politics › Hesitant to go up for promotion and move into administration

 Burnout › Stress of pre-tenure stage still stings  Need for self care  Mentoring and support › Serve as mentors for others › Helped to create institutional policies › Don’t receive mentoring or support

 Dual Career couple hiring  Day care – affordable and accessible  Tenure clock stop policies  Family leave policies  Modified duty policies  Flexibility in tenure  Professional development (throughout career)  Mentoring (throughout career)

“Ideal Worker/Ideal Scientist”

 FMLA is not enough  Not an entitlement  Not just a woman’s “problem”  Not just for junior faculty

 Institutional versus individual perspectives  Results at different institutional types  Disciplinary differences  Gender differences Questions? contact Lisa Wolf-Wendel