LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) A University of Kansas professor has co-authored a book about raising children while seeking tenure.
“Academic Motherhood: How Faculty Manage Work and Family” tells the story of more than 100 women in a range of academic disciplines and institutions.
Lisa Wolf-Wendel is a professor of educational leadership and policy studies professor at the University of Kansas. Her co-author, Kelly Ward, chairs the department of educational leadership and counseling psychology at Washington State University.
Wolf-Wendel says one issue that makes academia unique is that faculty members only have a certain amount of time in their career to attain tenure. And that time often occurs as they are starting families.
The book offers ways for institutions to help, including affordable day care and tenure stop clock policies.