Gender, Work Time, and Care Responsibilities Among Faculty¹

Abstract

This study explores how faculty at one research-intensive university spend their time on research, teaching, mentoring, and service, as well as housework, childcare, care for elders, and other long-term care. Drawing on surveys and focus group interviews with faculty, the article examines how gender is related to time spent on the different components of faculty work, as well as on housework and care. Findings show that many faculty report working more than 60 hours a week, with substantial time on weekends devoted to work. Finding balance between different kinds of work (research, teaching, mentoring, and service) is as difficult as finding balance between work and personal life. The study further explores how gendered care giving, in particular being a mother to young children, is related to time spent on faculty work, controlling for partner employment and other factors. Men and women devote significantly different amounts of time to housework and care giving. While men and women faculty devote the same overall time to their employment each week, mothers of young children spend less time on research, the activity that counts most toward career advancement.KEY WORDS: children; faculty jobs; gender; work-family conflict; working time; working parents. INTRODUCTIONWomen remain underrepresented as faculty members relative to their representation among doctorates, and are less likely to attain tenure and promotion or gain access to leadership positions relative to men of their cohorts (Currie et al., 2002;Gatta and Roos, 2004;Glayzer-Raymo, 2001; Mason and Goulden, 2004a,b;Monroe et al., 2008). Relative to men, faculty women also earn lower salaries, receive fewer discretionary funds, and receive fewer internal grants (Roos and Gatta, 2009 In this article, we explore how faculty at one research-intensive university spend their time on research, teaching, mentoring, and service, as well as housework, childcare, care for elders, and other long-term care. Drawing on surveys and focus group interviews with faculty, we examine how gender is related to time spent on the different components of faculty work, as well as on housework and care. We further explore how gendered care giving, in particular being a mother to young children, is related to time spent on faculty work, controlling for partner employment and other factors.All faculty recognized that research productivity is most highly valued by the university; however, research time was most likely to be sacrificed by mothers of young children. Care responsibilities appear to play a role in women faculty members' allocation of time. While heavy care responsibilities are usually short in duration, as with preschool children or with elderly parents in their final years, care responsibilities may have lasting effects on faculty careers. THE GENDERED ORGANIZATION OF FACULTY WORKAcademic employment requires long work weeks for most full-time faculty, even though these hours tend to be more flexible than other careers (Bailyn, 2003;Gatta and Roos, 2004;Gunter and Stambac...

Collaboration and Gender Equity among Academic Scientists

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Parental Leave Usage by Fathers and Mothers at an American University

“…Based on studies showing childcare gaps between men and women faculty working fulltime (Astin & Milem, 1997;Mason & Goulden, 2004a;Suitor, Mecom, & Feld, 2001;O'Laughlin & Bischoff, 2005;Misra, Templer, & Lundquist, 2012), some argue that allowing men equal leave time may reinforce, rather than reduce, gender inequality in the university by allowing men additional time to devote to research (Rhoads & Rhoads, 2012).…”

An examination of gender differences in the impact of individual and organisational factors on work hours, work-life conflict and psychological strain in academics

“…Research indicates that academics engage in long working hours (O' Laughlin & Bischoff, 2005;Misra et al, 2012). For example, on average American academics report working 55 hours per week (O'Laughlin & Bischoff, 2005), while Australian academics report working 50 hours per week (Winefield et al, 2008).…”