Complexity of Work‐Life Identities and Policy Development: Implications for Work‐Life in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter describes the themes that emerged in this volume with attention to important policy implications on the federal, state, and institutional levels. Recommendations for future research are provided.

‘To prove I’m not incapable, I overcompensate’: Disability, ideal workers, the academy

“…Positions designed around the notion of the ideal worker in a modern context render the disabled academic a misfit (Foster and Wass, 2012; Garland-Thomson, 2011; Waterfield et al, 2018). The ideal worker in an academic context has been explored previously (Howell et al, 2017; Kulp, 2016; Lester, 2016; Ward and Wolf-Wendel, 2016; Wolf-Wendel et al, 2016). Sang et al (2015) highlight that the academic ideal worker works long hours, is willing and able to travel, is active and productive in the research arena, and participates in social networks that aid individual promotion.…”

Rhetorical Questions and Ruminations

“…The socialization process for early career faculty potentially generates stress and anxiety (Eddy & Gaston-Gayles, 2008) and can be characterized by uncertainty and questioning (Reybold, 2005). Higher education scholars exploring first-year faculty experiences found conflict emerges when early career faculty search for balance (Lester, 2016), navigate collegial relationships (Watts & Robertson, 2011), manage stress (Eddy & Gaston-Gayles, 2008), and seek to define ambiguous job demands (Sabagh et al, 2018). The questions posed during the stressful transition, often deeply personal, reveal key issues related to the early career faculty experience.…”