Gender Norms, the Ideal Worker, and Work/Life “Balance”

• In Event: The Double Bind: Gendered Organizations and Work/Family (Im)Balance

Abstract

Description: Working and studying in postsecondary institutions demands total commitment from participants: faculty and staff are expected to devote themselves to their jobs and students are expected to devote themselves to their studies. Any responsibilities that individuals have off-campus are considered irrelevant. And yet, gender norms play a significant role in shaping how faculty, staff, and students navigate their responsibilities both on and off-campus. Past research suggests that women tend to perform a greater share of childcare (Mason & Goulden, 2004; Ward & Wolf-Wendel, 2012), although men’s involvement with their children has increased (Sayer et al., 2004). Despite such demands in the home, colleges and universities provide little assistance to help employees and students navigate their personal demands. Although campuses can and do provide family-friendly benefits to faculty and limited assistance to staff (and virtually no assistance to students), the overarching message remains that individuals need to find ways to be ideal workers while managing personal demands on their own (Williams, 2000). Such expectations mean that traditional gender norms and divisions of labor remain intact, having consequences for men and women alike.

The speakers will consider the implications that such norms have for the future of the academy and all who occupy it. Our focus is on work-life across employment contracts (faculty versus staff), different institutional types (research universities versus community colleges), location (urban versus rural), and how organizational culture plays a role in shaping work-life for both men and women. We will address the limitations of current frameworks on gendered universities and organizational culture. In addition, the presentation will include specific recommendations of practices and policies that campuses need to consider with attention to varying needs across employment contracts, different institutional types, and organizational culture.

Authors

• Jaime R. Lester, George Mason University

• Margaret W. Sallee, University at Buffalo - SUNY