Retaining female postgraduates in academia: the role of gender and prospective parenthood

Abstract

Women remain under-represented in almost all academic levels at universities internationally, and previous evidence has suggested that women move out of the university system in increasing numbers as they progress from postgraduate study to an academic career. The current study aimed to explore the role of gender in the reports of study experiences and future career plans of Australian postgraduate research students (n = 249). Questionnaire data indicated women were significantly less likely than men to rate an academic career as appealing. In particular, female postgraduate students without dependent children were least likely to want to pursue an academic career. On the basis of qualitative analysis, we attribute this finding, at least in part, to a perceived incompatibility between motherhood and an academic career and discuss the implications for gender equity in higher education.

Parents enrolled in graduate programs and their experiences with faculty

“…Interview data were analyzed by searching for clusters and themes within and across participants (Miles, Huberman, & Saldaña, 2014). Because research has suggested that subpopulations of graduate student parents may experience distinct types of role strain and role enhancement (Crabb & Ekberg, 2014;Moreau & Kerner, 2015;Myers-Wells et al, 2011), I also analyzed the data within and across groups such as mothers, fathers, international students, and single parents.…”

“…Students who are parents need to attend not only to endless graduate program requirements but also to the daily needs of their children. I posit that because they assume multiple demanding roles (Chesser, 2015;Crabb & Ekberg, 2014;Douglas & Michaels, 2004;Hays, 1996), graduate students with children may experience more intensified difficulties with stress, finances, and struggles unique to their intersecting identities, as compared to graduate students who are not parents (Grady et al, 2014). However, parenthood and graduate school may also provide benefits to graduate student parents in that these roles may buffer the stress of one another (Wolf-Wendel & Ward, 2006) and allow students to gain new insights into parenting (Estes, 2011), research (Dillon, 2012), teaching, and service.…”

“…Graduate student parents: Individuals who are enrolled in graduate programs while simultaneously raising children (Myers-Walls et al, 2011;Sallee, 2015;Springer et al, 2009) Greedy institutions: Institutions, such as the family and academia, that seek undivided and exclusive attention and commitment from those who take part in them (Coser, 1974) Ideal worker/student: A societal or institutional expectation that refers to employees or students as ideal only if they work more than 40 hours per week and display undivided commitment, accessibility, and loyalty to the job (Chesser, 2015;Crabb & Ekberg, 2014) Intensive parenting: Complete devotion of oneself to the tasks of parenting, such as teaching, entertaining, responding to varying developmental needs at different stages, providing for and socializing children during all waking hours. The term "intensive mothering" has been used in prior literature (Douglas & Michaels, 2004;Hays, 1996); however, for the purposes of this study, the concept refers to all parents.…”

“…Time is a recurring theme in much of the literature on parenting in academia across nations such as the United States, Canada, and New Zealand (Baker, 2010;Comer & Stites-Doe, 2006;Crabb & Ekberg, 2014;Raddon, 2002;Wolf-Wendel & Ward, 2006). Academic calendars and requirements for tenure track positions greatly influence faculty members' decisions to conceive children (Armenti, 2004;Baker, 2010).…”

“…For instance, women perceived less social support from graduate programs than did men (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992). Women in graduate school have also reported gendered messages such as the incompatibility of motherhood and academic careers (Crabb & Ekberg, 2014) as well as advice to "play the game the way the boys do" (Shope, 2005, p. 53). In Crabb and Ekberg's (2014) analysis of gender in graduate school, several participants voiced implicit messages such as the university environment being a "boys' club" and that women in the university were regarded less highly than men.…”