Mothers in the Academy: Positioned and positioning within discourses of the 'successful academic' and the 'good mother'

Abstract

SummaryThis paper make use a feminist poststructuralist framework of discursive analysis to explore the ways in which women academics with children are both positioned and positioning within the complex and often contradictory discourses surrounding the positions of the "successful academic" and the "good mother". Taking a biographical approach, these discourses are explored within the everyday experiences of Susan, an academic and mother. It is argued that while the intersection of these discourses -which are fluid and in process, rather than fixed and unchanging -creates conflict for mothers not only within the academy but also in terms of their subjectivities outside of the academy, they can also be empowering, potentially creating a space within which mothers can begin to consider the possibilities for new ways of being within the academy. Implications for the academic community and HEIs are considered, with a particular focus on the development of a critical literacy.

Flexible and Fixed Times Working in the Academy

“…That it is our more flexible more ongoing tasks that tend to be rescheduled out of normal hours seems apparent when 80% of academics work 20% of their time outside normal hours, during which they do half of all personal scholarship (Kinman and Jones 2004, pages 12, 19). Likewise the times to network, to put it instrumentally, or to offer professional courtesy and hospitality, to be more benign, tend to be out of normal hours and clash with demands of being a carer or indeed a partner (Raddon 2002). So one of the defences emerging is reinforcing the 'normal working day' where people, especially on fractional but also full contracts, attempt to restrict work hours as a way of defining the job.…”

Challenges to the doctoral journey: a case of female doctoral students from Ethiopia

“…These manifold and overlapping responsibilities can impact female students' emotional well-being and the likelihood of completing their program of study (Hyun et al, 2006). Due to the various roles women have to assume in their daily life, balancing personal and professional development becomes a serious challenge, which in turn leaves them to experience inter-role conflict between their personal and academic roles (Johnson, Batia & Haun, 2008;Offstein, Larson, McNeill & Mjoni, 2004;Raddon, 2002). This interaction/interplay between the various roles and lack of time and energy often lead to stress, which may lead to physical and psychological health problems (Johnson, Batia & Haun, 2008).…”

Agents for Change and Changed Agents: The Micro‐politics of Change and Feminism in the Academy

“…At the level of identity, the continuous negotiation between selves, both those sanctioned and those encouraged by the organisational culture, can be a significant source of stress. In their study of women academics in Canada, Acker and Feuerverger (1996) locate contradictions in tensions between prescriptions for 'caring women' and 'productive academics' (see also Park, 1996;Raddon 2002). Similarly Haynes and Fearfull (2008) observe that women academics are often forced to grapple with complex and conflicting priorities which, on the organisational level, see women's identities subject to stereotypical notions of femininity and, on the professional level, see them torn between intellectual scholarship, research and inquiry and the nurturing and teaching components of the academic role.…”