We’ve all heard of the so-called corporate mommy track: the one where working mothers are often limited in how far they can advance in their professions because of their family obligations. I wonder if this has happened to me.
Many years ago I read a very interesting book as I was doing some research for my graduate work: The Gendered Society by Michael Kimmel, a widely regarded American sociologist. I came across an interesting passage in which Kimmel describer the problem that many academics face: it is just at that point where an academic is finishing up graduate work or is about to land a tenure-track position that she – or he – must make a decision about having a family. Because the American social system provides comparatively few supports for working parents, many an academic can run into a dilemma.
As I reflect on my academic career, one which seems to have gone on forever, yet really has not gone all that far, I wonder if my dedication to my family has prevented me from landing that great tenure-track job we all dream of in grad school.
I know the realities of the market. It’s awful out there. Sometimes you just don’t get the job and it’s not about you. But some days I don’t work as hard to improve things I need to improve to build up a good c.v..
I love being a dad. I love spending time with my children. I live in a city with a high cost of living, and have for many years taken on numerous part-time jobs to pay the bills. And after the kids came, and I found intermittent full-time work, I was now busy teaching and taking care of my children. We both believed that we should be the primary caregivers, and that meant sharing. As I’ve said before, I work the “second shift” as much as any dad I know. When I teach, I teach long hours. I come home, I eat, the girls are sometimes asleep, and if not, I try and take care of that. By the time it’s quiet, I’m wiped out. I’ve got nothing but a pillow on my mind. I work two full-time jobs, but only one of them I actually get paid to do. When do I have time to write?
An academic is judged by the potential to contribute scholarship in the field. An academic can also get recognized for teaching work. I have concentrated on the latter, more than the former. And when I became a father, that took more of my time. I’m a very good teacher, and I pay attention to what is going on in my profession, but when it comes to getting published I’ve had problems (and with the academic publishing field drying up it’s harder for all of us). Because I have chosen to take care of my children and be an involved father, I am likely to be passed over for jobs because I am competing with scholars who have a substantial track record – from what I can tell, many of these scholars have no children (I also know many who have, and many whose marriages have ended, thus adding more stress to their careers).
Some academics have the benefit of a spouse with a large income, an income that might have even been used to help support graduate school tuition. My wife and I work hard for a comparatively small family income. We both need to work but we both choose to be parents. And our reward? More work for less pay. That’s frustrating.