Work/Life Fit

Abstract

A successful academic trajectory tends to be characterized by a singular Standard, that is, doctoral degree, tenure-track position, tenure, and promotion to full professor, administration, or both. Significant numbers of social work faculty struggle with the intersection of the traditional career life cycle and the developmental life cycle. This article discusses barriers that emerge from the intersection of these life cycles. Strategies to support career success and family satisfaction are also discussed, including, current law, work/life policies, self-care, and mentoring.

Cumulative Disadvantage

“…Changes in both policy and practice are needed to help faculty achieve both career success and family satisfaction, as the two are inextricably bound. Tower, Faul, Hamilton-Mason, Collins, and Gibson (2014) argue that social workers have the knowledge, values, and skills to advocate for work/life policies, and ought to do so. They further suggest applying for external dollars to garner institutional leverage.…”

Caregiving and Conferencing: Supporting Faculty Participation in Conference Travel

“…As a result, faculty women often report not submitting a conference proposal, declining an invitation to be a speaker, or forgoing field research (Tower and Latimer, 2016;Schroeder et al, 2013). However, this gendered and racialized problem is only beginning to be recognized by universities and few universities offer support to reduce it (Tower, Faul, Hamilton-Mason, Collins, and Gibson, 2015;Calisi and Working Group of Mothers in Science, 2018). This intersection of gender with ways university resources are allocated frames such a problem as one of institutional discrimination.…”

Women Social Workers

“…Mentoring through a feminist ethic of care lens also serves as a protective factor. In contrast with hierarchical traditional paradigms, feminist mentoring focuses on relational qualities and active participation of the mentee (Duntley-Matos, 2014;Gutierrez, 2012;Tower, Faul, Hamilton-Mason, Collins, & Gibson, 2015). Mentoring relationships have been shown to positively influence the career success of women in terms of earnings and opportunities for promotion (Buchanan, 2014).…”