Academic Mothers: Exploring Disciplinary Perspectives

In this article we explore the role of academic discipline on the careers of tenure-line faculty women with children. Longitudinal, qualitative findings show that disciplinary contexts and ideal worker norms shape what it means to be an academic and a mother. Even after achieving tenure, ideal worke...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInnovative higher education Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 19 - 35
Main Authors Wolf-Wendel, Lisa, Ward, Kelly
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2015
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Academic Rank (Professional)
Career Development
Careers
Children
College Faculty
Education
Educational Researchers
Family Work Relationship
Higher Education
Instructional Leadership
Intellectual Disciplines
Longitudinal Studies
Mothers
Norms
Occupations
Promotion (Occupational)
Qualitative Research
Role Perception
Tenure
Women
Women Faculty
Womens Studies
Work Environment
Work Ethic
New York
United States > US
Pennsylvania
Faculty
Women
Academic Discipline
Motherhood
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In this article we explore the role of academic discipline on the careers of tenure-line faculty women with children. Longitudinal, qualitative findings show that disciplinary contexts and ideal worker norms shape what it means to be an academic and a mother. Even after achieving tenure, ideal worker norms affect these roles; professional advancement is not a given in the academic pipeline. Institutions of higher education must create environments that facilitate the promotion of women to the rank of full professor and into administrative positions.
ISSN:0742-5627
1573-1758
DOI:10.1007/s10755-014-9293-4