Influence of international mobility on the attitudes of researchers

Abstract

Academic mobility is usually perceived and discussed as a positive phenomenon-as a prerequisite for building a competitive and successful economy and quality science. Academic mobility has now become essential to building a successful academic career in many research domains. On the policy level the negative impact of academic mobility on researchers' lives and especially women's is usually overlooked and marginalized. In my paper I focus on academic mobility in the context of academics' relationships and family lives. I ask two research questions: What is the impact of mobility on researchers' relationships? How does mobility affect the lives of the partners of mobile researchers? The analysis is based on i) 16 in-depth interviews with academics from various fields of research about their experiences of long-term fellowships abroad in the early stages of their academic path and on ii) 16 in-depth joint interviews with Czech dualcareer academic couples. The analysis shows that academic mobility has a great and significant impact on the family and partnership lives of migrating researchers. For many, especially the partners of migrating researchers, mobility means they have to make many concessions in their private and family lives. I conclude that the impact of academic mobility on people's partnership lives is highly gendered because couples' work and family lives are closely intertwined.

Choices and Consequences: Impact of Mobility on Research-Career Capital and Promotion in Business Schools

“…Answering the second question, researchers found that prior experience of international mobility (e.g., during student years) makes academics more likely to move (Børing et al, 2015;Equeter & Hellemans, 2016) as a result of both reduced uncertainty about what it might entail and a better understanding of the potential benefits. Highly productive academics are more likely to move (Azoulay et al, 2017); the volume of recently published research, rather than its impact, seems to enable mobility (Allison & Long, 1987;Edler, Fier, & Grimpe, 2011).…”

“…In answering the question about the consequences of international mobility, Equeter and Hellemans (2016) found that it leads to higher work engagement and employee well-being. Numerous studies of academic productivity also found that, although international mobility brings a decrease in performance in the short term (Bäker, 2015;Fernández-Zubieta et al, 2015), it is positively related to research productivity in the long term (Veugelers & Van Bouwel, 2015;Zubieta, 2009).…”

“…The adjustment cost of international mobility might seem to many female academics to be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. Although the literature indicated that, in general, prior experience of international mobility is conducive to further international mobility (Børing et al, 2015;Equeter & Hellemans, 2016), internationally mobile female academics interviewed by Sang et al (2013) unanimously expressed their unwillingness to move again due to the costs of unsettling their families.…”

Are Employees More Mobilized After Job Mobility?

“…Work engagement has rarely been studied in the context of job change. Some research has shown low work engagement as an antecedent to voluntary external job change (e.g., de Lange, De Witte, & Notelaers, 2008; Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004), but only de Lange, De Witte, and Notelaers (2008) and Equeter and Hellemans (2016) have investigated the impact of mobility on work engagement. The longitudinal study of de Lange et al (2008) provided evidence that this work-related state of mind improves after an external mobility.…”

“…The longitudinal study of de Lange et al (2008) provided evidence that this work-related state of mind improves after an external mobility. Equeter and Hellemans (2016) focused on a specific mobility: the international mobility of researchers (at least 1 month abroad for strictly professional reasons during the last 3 years, without job change or affiliation change). They found that successful international mobility significantly and positively predicts an increase in researchers’ work engagement.…”