Becoming working mothers: Reconciling work and family at three particular workplaces in Norway, the UK, and Portugal

Sümer, Sevil; Smithson, Janet; Guerreiro, Maria das Dores; Granlund, Lise

doi:10.1080/13668800802361815

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Teaching releases are granted on the basis of course credits. Pregnancy and childbirth is not predictable; though, as noted earlier, many academics and other workers attempt to accommodate their employer and time pregnancies to place the birth at an optimum time in their work schedule (Wilson, 1999;Toepell, 2003;Sümer et al, 2008). This inconvenience of timing is not addressed in employment legislation and was not addressed in the CBA of the case study site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parents in both countries reported feeling guilty when asking to exercise their rights to pregnancy or parental leave and many, ostensibly by choice, took shorter leaves or lesser salaries than they were entitled. In Portugal, many mothers subordinated family planning to work priorities; they tried to be available for work even while on pregnancy leave and childbirth was often timed to correspond with the ebb and flow of the work schedule and load (Sümer et al, 2008). In the case of the UK and Portugal, a parent wishing to exercise her statutory entitlements to leave had to enter into a range of individual negotiations with managers and colleagues.…”

Section: Problematizing Statutory Rights: Individual Choice or Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In countries with progressive leave policies these statutory rights are generally taken for granted and regularly exercised. As Sümer et al (2008) noted, in Norway, it is generally accepted that parents use their full right to a leave of absence; parents have a high sense of entitlement and are well-informed about their rights. The authors concluded that knowledge of statutory entitlements and a secure workplace that respects those entitlements are at the root of parents' ability to make use of their rights.…”

Section: Problematizing Statutory Rights: Individual Choice or Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The statutory entitlements that Canadian parents receive are less progressive than Norwegians, for instance who can receive 44 weeks at full-pay that can be shared by the parents, and a further year of unpaid leave (Sümer et al, 2008;OECD, 2011). However, Canadian entitlements are much better than those in the United Kingdom where mothers can receive 6 weeks at 90% pay, 20 weeks at a lesser flat rate, and 13 weeks unpaid leave (Sümer et al, 2008;OECD, 2011) or in the United States where mothers receive no paid leave and only 12 weeks of unpaid leave (OECD, 2011;World Legal Rights Database, 2011). In Canada, pregnancy and parental leave is administered under the federal Employment Insurance (EI) Act.…”

Section: Statutory Entitlements To Leavementioning

confidence: 99%

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Negotiating in Silence: Experiences with Parental Leave in Academia

Weststar

2012

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This paper presents a case study of pregnancy/parental leave arrangements among faculty members at a mid-sized Canadian university. Pregnancy/parental leaves and associated benefits are often taken for granted, particularly among unionized employees in Canada; however, this research shows that continued vigilance is required to maintain the standard and equity of these rights. The data consist of self-report accounts of faculty experiences in making leave arrangements over the period 2000-2010.The results show inequity in leave arrangements across faculties, across and within departments and for individuals who had more than one leave. Much of this inequity stemmed from individualized “creative” negotiations and problem-solving when the leave was scheduled to begin or end in the middle of an academic term. Many of these solutions penalized faculty members for unassigned teaching duties. Faculty members were requested or felt personally obligated to “cover-off” the teaching time before or after their leave by teaching course overloads, using course releases earned through external research grants, condensing courses, or beginning and/or ending the leave earlier than required.This research has implications for unions who must maintain vigilance and relevance in professional environments where individual negotiation takes place and union consciousness is lower. It also emphasizes the burden placed on parents when the bearing and rearing of children is framed as an individual right rather than an issue of social reproduction. As a result of their “choice” to have a baby and take an associated leave of absence, faculty members can experience guilt, fear and anxiety related to their professional and collegial status. Due to these emotions, and faced with a silent collective agreement, faculty members can accommodate the needs of the university to their own detriment. The paper concludes with recommendations for how faculty unions can better protect pregnancy and parental leave rights through improved formal language in policy documents or collective agreements.Cet article présente une étude de cas sur les clauses de congé parental ou de maternité chez les professeurs d’une université canadienne de moyenne taille. Les congés parentaux ou de maternité et les avantages qui leur sont associés sont souvent tenus pour acquis, particulièrement parmi les employés syndiqués au Canada; toutefois cette recherche montre qu’une vigilance continue est de rigueur pour maintenir le niveau et l’équité de ces droits. Les données obtenues sont constituées d’auto-déclarations d’expériences facultaires dans l’élaboration d’accords en matière de congé durant la période 2000-2010. Les résultats font ressortir des inégalités dans l’octroi de tels congés entre les facultés, entre les départements et au sein de ceux-ci et parmi les person...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Problematizing Statutory Rights: Individual Choice or Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Problematizing Statutory Rights: Individual Choice or Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Statutory Entitlements To Leavementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Negotiating in Silence: Experiences with Parental Leave in Academia

Weststar

2012

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“…In individualist societies like Sweden (Forsberg, 2009) and UK (Lu et al, 2010;Sümer et al, 2008), where gender egalitarianism is high, it appears that spousal support is manifested through sharing domestic chores. Both husband and wife run the household together where each of them can and do prepare meals, attend to their children, prepare them and take them to school.…”

Section: Omani Women and Spousal Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%