Comments on: Does Academe Hinder Parenthood?

By: Tom Grosh

Tom Grosh — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:08:56 +0000

Dear Jennifer, Thank-you for sharing. In Christ, Tom

By: Jennifer Shewmaker

Jennifer Shewmaker — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:22:35 +0000

I am a married female with three young children and just became a tenured associate professor at a Christian university this year. So, while it’s possible, I still feel that I face challenges that my male colleagues don’t face. For example, I did have to stop the clock on the tenure process after my third child was born, and was actually chided for doing this by a male colleague. While I think my university is generally very family friendly, it historically has done this through the welcoming and encouraging of faculty wives. The female faculty who are my age are struggling with balancing their lives just as I am, so days you win and some you lose. However, my husband and I are both committed to making our family our top priority above career, and I think that helps us put things into perspective.

By: sobersnail

sobersnail — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:21:27 +0000

I’d be interested in comparing the stats from this article (colleges and universities in general) with stats from explicitly Christian institutions.

Do conservative Christian schools have policies such as spousal hiring resources, paid parental leave, and the ability to stop the tenure clock at the birth of a child? If not, they shouldn’t be surprised if they either:
–have fewer female faculty with children; or
–have fewer female faculty altogether.

I’m married to an academic, with one child; we’re both on the market this year and are dealing with this very issue.