Department Chairs and High Chairs: The importance of perceived department chair supportiveness on faculty parents' views of departmental and institutional kid-friendliness

Abstract

Prior research shows pervasive inequalities in the ways that women and men faculty experience the competing demands of balancing an academic career with raising a family. Using survey data from parents who recently had or adopted a child while in a tenured or tenure-track position, this study explores issues related to how departmental culture is experienced by professors who become mothers or fathers, with particular emphasis on the role of the department chair. Findings indicate that the perceived supportiveness of the department chair is an important factor in how both men and women faculty perceive the departmental and institutional culture surrounding parenthood.