Objective: We explored the experiences of academic mothers traversing the simultaneous demands of parenting and their professional roles throughout the pandemic to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on engagement in scholarship. Background: In response to reports of reduced scholarship by women across academic disciplines, the goal of this study was to understand the lived experiences of women scholars who identify as mothers. Method: Academic women, including faculty and students, completed an online survey with demographic items and open-ended questions. From the collected data, responses from participants who identified as mothers (n = 51) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Analysis of the data revealed that participants' roles as parents and scholarly women were inextricably intertwined, each serving as foundational components of their identities, a reality highlighted by the exacerbating stressors associated with COVID-19. Altered childcare demands, conflicting roles, and relational changes emerged as consequences of the ongoing pandemic, which compromised participants' ability to effectively attend to different aspects of their identity and sometimes resulted in the development of negative emotions. Conclusion: Participants identified additional responsibilities due to the ongoing pandemic. Feeling pulled between their often-conflicting personal and professional identities, academic mothers cited a lack of supportive professional structures, which became more evident during COVID-19, as a barrier to their pursuit of scholarship. Implications: This study aligned with previous scholarly documentation of historical gendered bias common within academia. The potential long-term professional impact of
Objective
The purpose of this study was to explore how academic womxn experience their partnerships during quarantine and to determine the impact of those relational dynamics on scholarly productivity.
Background
Past literature indicates traumatic events and extended quarantine is associated with negative mental health outcomes. While primary partnerships serve as one protective factor, extended quarantine with one's partner introduces novel stress to a relationship, which may have unintended outcomes, including those that affect productivity.
Method
An online survey was provided to academic womxn invested in scholarship. Responses from participants who identified as in a relationship (n = 67) were coded using thematic analysis through a feminist lens.
Findings
Participants highlighted three major themes across their responses: time and space, communication, and needs. These findings reflected stressors typical within couple relationships but highlighted important considerations for partners of academic womxn in support of their scholarly activity during quarantine.
Conclusion
Though the flexibility available during the pandemic for academic womxn provided time and space for some to nurture their relationship as well as focus on scholar activity, this was not consistent across partners.
Implications
Findings show the mixed experiences of partners and confirm the importance of communication, especially about time and space and professional needs. Recommendations can be extrapolated to other processional and career partnerships.
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