Challenges and Opportunities for Academic Parents During COVID-19

Abstract

Parents in academic careers face notable challenges that may go unrecognized by university management and/or policy makers. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on some of these challenges, as academic parents shifted to working from home while simultaneously caring for children. On the other hand, many parents found that the shift to working from home offered new opportunities such as working more flexible hours, development of digital skillsets, and increased involvement in the education of their children. In this article we explore the work-related challenges and opportunities experienced by academic parents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and offer potential long-term solutions for academic parents and their universities. We use the following methods: (1) a literature review focused on identifying the work-related challenges academic parents faced prior to the pandemic, as well as the impact of the pandemic on scientists and working parents and (2) administer a world-wide survey with the goal of identifying the challenges and opportunities associated with parenting and academic work through the COVID-19 lockdown (304 total responses; 113 complete). Moving forward these findings have enabled conclusions to be drawn in order to shape a new normal. Our aim is to offer university administrators, policy makers, and community service providers with ways to provide additional support for academic parents as well as provide tools for academic parents to learn successful strategies directly from their peers.

Work from home and parenting: Examining the role of work‐family conflict and gender during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…This may have become even more important if the increased role overlap was caused by rising work demands (see also Adisa et al., 2021 ). Yet despite WFH‐related resource gains for mothers’ interactions with their children, the greater dissolution of spatial and temporal boundaries between work and family during the pandemic (Lantsoght et al., 2021 ; Otonkorpi‐Lehtoranta et al., 2021 ; Salin et al., 2020 ) has also shown to reduce psychological well‐being among mothers especially (Hipp & Bünning, 2021 ; Huebener et al., 2021 ). At the same time, fathers did not seem to benefit from WFH compared to onsite work to engage in responsive interactions with their children more frequently.…”

“…Formal WFH options can therefore free up time and psychological resources for parent‐child interactions (Kim, 2020 ). Qualitative studies reported that one theme in parents’ experiences during early stages of the pandemic revolved around time savings and increased flexibility through WFH, which helped them spend more time, connect, and bond with their children (Adisa et al., 2021 ; Lantsoght et al., 2021 ; Salin et al., 2020 ; Sánchez‐Mira et al., 2021 ). Studies further identified parent‐child communication as an important coping strategy to help children understand the lockdown measures and to cope with their emotions such as anxiety and frustration (Salin et al., 2020 ; Vaterlaus et al., 2021 ).…”

“…On the downside, however, managing spatial and temporal boundaries between work and caregiving roles became particularly challenging for parents who switched to WFH during the pandemic (Cusinato et al., 2020 ; Otonkorpi‐Lehtoranta et al., 2021 ; Prime et al., 2020 ; Sánchez‐Mira et al., 2021 ; Settersten et al., 2020 ). Qualitative research found that these parents started working in sequential shifts and during atypical times, such as during early mornings, evenings, and even nights to manage childcare and homeschooling during the daytime (Lantsoght et al., 2021 ; Salin et al., 2020 ). Quantitative studies linked this dual burden to increased levels of stress and lower psychological well‐being among parents (Goldberg, McCormick et al., 2021 ; Huebener et al., 2021 ) and, in turn, to more negative and harsher parenting (Chung et al., 2020 ; Vaterlaus et al., 2021 ).…”

Teaching in a Pandemic: An Exploratory Study into University Instructors’ Perceptions of Work-from-Home Opportunities and Challenges during the COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa

“…The closures of educational institutions forcefully compelled university instructors in South Africa and worldwide to work from home and shift their teaching engagements with students from a face-to-face delivery mode to an online or virtual mode of teaching because of the restrictions imposed on human and vehicular movements due to the pandemic (Joseph & Trinick, 2021). The COVID-19 lockdown and its resultant effects, such as the work-from-home (WFH) option for academics, created certain opportunities and challenges (Lantsoght et al, 2021). The concept of working from home has gained popularity since March 2020 when the global lockdown was first introduced as a measure for stopping the spread of the virus.…”

Pulling back the curtains: the realities and complexities of juggling parenthood and a career in academia

“…The book was finalized in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and so, while the stories and study findings that are presented throughout the book do not capture this "new reality," the challenges that are facing academic parents have not really changed. They have, however, been compounded and exacerbated (Lantsoght et al, 2021), making the book all the more timely and necessary.…”