Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance

Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance gives voice to faculty and reveals the myriad personal and professional issues faculty face over the span of their academic careers. Based on years of in-the-field research and two gender-based studies, Maike Ingrid Philipsen and Timothy Bostic give the issue of work-life balance a fresh perspective by taking a comparative approach to the topic in regard to both gender and career stage. The authors' research reports on the experiences of male and female faculty at early-, mid-, and late-career stages. In addition, the book goes beyond the typical "family-friendly" approach and takes an all-encompassing "life-friendly" view, recognizing the need to strive for balance in the lives of all faculty members.

Philipsen and Bostic describe enablers and obstacles that faculty encounter during their careers and how policies and programs might more effectively address the needs of faculty. Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance is filled with illustrative cases from exemplary institutions to showcase what they are doing to reform the system.

Praise for Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance

"As a junior faculty member and father of three, I know that balancing family and work can be a significant challenge. Philipsen and Bostic's research provides a wonderful opportunity to consider different approaches I can take to successfully navigate the road ahead."
—Scott J. Allen, assistant professor of management, John Carroll University

"The authors have presented a best-practices approach to real work-life dilemmas that they have documented among American faculty. Administrators should find this book of great practical help."
—Teresa A. Sullivan, president, University of Virginia

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

The Authors xv

Introduction xvii

1 Crafting a Career 1

The Increase of Expectations 2

Lacking Clarity and the Paradox of Flexibility 6

Exemplary Institutions 14

Policy Meets Faculty 22

Recommendations 23

2 Making It Work: Having Life Partners 25

Division of Labor 26

Dual Careers 37

Exemplary Institutions 43

Policy Meets Faculty 48

Recommendations 49

3 Parenting 51

Exemplary Institutions: Child Care 64

Exemplary Institutions: Child Leave 72

Policy Meets Faculty 79

Recommendations 81

4 Thriving in Academe 85

Inherent Factors 85

Colleagues 86

Policies 89

Culture 92

Resources 95

Significant Others 99

Faculty Ingenuity 104

5 Summary and Conclusions 111

Recommendations and Successful Strategies 117

Appendix A Methods 127

Appendix B Additional Findings from the Men’s Study 143

Resource A Exemplary Institutions 181

Resource B Exemplary Policies 185

Resource C Key Organizations, Readings, and Websites 195

References 201

Index 211

Maike Ingrid Philipsen is professor of social foundations of education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Timothy B. Bostic is assistant professor of English education at Old Dominion University.

Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance gives voice to faculty and reveals the myriad personal and professional issues faculty face over the span of their academic careers. Based on years of in-the-field research and two gender-based studies, Maike Ingrid Philipsen and Timothy Bostic give the issue of work-life balance a fresh perspective by taking a comparative approach to the topic in regard to both gender and career stage. The authors' research reports on the experiences of male and female faculty at early-, mid-, and late-career stages. In addition, the book goes beyond the typical "family-friendly" approach and takes an all-encompassing "life-friendly" view, recognizing the need to strive for balance in the lives of all faculty members.

Philipsen and Bostic describe enablers and obstacles that faculty encounter during their careers and how policies and programs might more effectively address the needs of faculty. Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance is filled with illustrative cases from exemplary institutions to showcase what they are doing to reform the system.

Praise for Helping Faculty Find Work-Life Balance

"As a junior faculty member and father of three, I know that balancing family and work can be a significant challenge. Philipsen and Bostic's research provides a wonderful opportunity to consider different approaches I can take to successfully navigate the road ahead."
—Scott J. Allen, assistant professor of management, John Carroll University

"The authors have presented a best-practices approach to real work-life dilemmas that they have documented among American faculty. Administrators should find this book of great practical help."
—Teresa A. Sullivan, president, University of Virginia