Dean Dad, who's guest-blogging over at Bitch PhD, has a striking post up about the glass ceiling for parents. There's just something wrong when institutions are removed from the idea of faculty and administrators having families. Actually, that's not it, it's that they're removed from the idea of faculty and administrators (and, I would suggest from my own experience, students) being full partners in raising their children. Who is it, exactly, who benefits when there is a selection process that only allows those without children or with a stay-at-home partner to participate fully in the life of a university?
I do find it interesting that Dean Dad is able to put in those long hours. Thanks, Dean Dad's wife.
Update: Dean Dad comments further:
Prof. B. makes a similar point when she invokes the 'brains on sticks' model of academia. We aren't brains on sticks, and to the extent that we have to be in order to be taken seriously, something has gone very wrong. If wanting to be a real parent to my kids disqualifies me from advancement, and you generalize that model, it shouldn't be surprising that some incredibly family-hostile decisions get made. The folks who could spot the effects of decisions on families aren't at the table to say so.Can I get an amen?
2 comments:
Amen.
And I'd extend that argument to nearly every professional career.
Absolutely. I can't think of many careers that are truly family-friendly. Everyone likes to pretend that they support a work/life balance, but in truth, it's the exception.
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