“Good” Places to Work: Community Colleges, Academic Work, and Family Integration

• In Event: Gender Issues in Community College Settings

Abstract

Description: Part time faculty positions and community college academic positions can be viewed as less stressful and personally taxing positions than full time or positions perceived to have higher prestige. For faculty wanting to combine work and family, community college faculty positions can be viewed as “good jobs” (Finkelstein, Seal & Schuster, 1998). The intent of this paper is to look at faculty in community colleges using gendered perspectives as a way to give voice to faculty often over looked in research about gender and also research about faculty. Drawing on the perspective of female community college faculty with children, the paper uses critical and feminist perspectives to look at faculty careers and family formation.

Background: Kelly Ward is co-author of the book Academic motherhood: How faculty manage work and family (2012). Her research focuses on faculty roles, work and family, and community engagement.

Author

• Kelly A. Ward, Washington State University