Family commitments act as a significant barrier to career progression for academics who are mothers, according to new research.
Federation University PHD student Harshani Hiswella Kankanamalage interviewed 54 academics who were mothers, as well as five university deans, and found that conflicting demands of work and family had impeded the career progression of a significant number.
Based on in-depth interviews, Ms Kankanamalage found that the heavy workload required in academic roles, combined with family commitments, prevented many from being able to demonstrate that they were exceeding the duties of their current role in order to be considered for promotion.
“For academic mothers, the combination of excessive work hours needed to complete tasks and family demands results in work-life conflict and an inability to undertake roles involving travel that may be required for more senior roles. The absence of leisure time results in an inability to undertake research or leadership roles and meet the criteria for promotion,” Ms Kankanamalage said.
While gender issues and family commitments have been assumed to be a key cause of under-representation of women in senior ranks, there has been relatively little research to understand the nature of barriers for women in academic roles today.
The study has not looked at professional staff with family responsibilities, or impacts of family life on men, focusing on insights relating to academics with children.
“Excessive working hours, driven by misaligned workload models and institutional expectations, combined with persistent family demands such as household activities and parenting responsibilities, create intense time and emotional pressures,” Ms Kankanamalage said.
“These pressures constrain academic mothers’ ability to allocate discretionary time to research, leadership, and networking activities essential for meeting promotion criteria.”
The study also prompts questions about the equity and relevance of performance management and promotion policies and practices relating to the academic workforce – wherein academic staff at many institutions are required to demonstrate working above their existing level without additional compensation for a period of time before they are considered for promotion.