Issues For Early Career Faculty

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Bias Avoidance in the Academy Challenges,
Opportunities, and the Value of
Policies Convocation on Maximizing the Potential
of Women in Academe December 9, 2005 Washington
DC Robert Drago
Penn State University drago_at_psu.edu lsir
.la.psu.edu/workfam/drago.htm
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Women Fast-Track Professionals with Babies in
the Household, by Age of Professional
Children, Ages 0 or 1 in Household.
Source Census 2000, provided by Marc Goulden.
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The Mapping Project

• Bias against caregiving
• Joan Williams New glass ceiling
• Bias avoidance
• Productive Unproductive BA
• Game with unknown rules
• Mapping Project (Drago/Colbeck, Sloan Foundation)
• Survey 5087 faculty at 507 schools, 10 case
  studies, 13 shadowing participants

4
Productive Bias Avoidance by Gender, Research
Universities
Source Mapping Project, 2002-2003.
5
Unproductive Bias Avoidance by Gender, Research
Universities
Source Mapping Project, 2002-2003.
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The Mapping Project

• Bias Avoidance Academe, Sept-Oct 2005
• BA more often affects women
• BA reduced by supervisor support
• BA reduced by positive affect

7
The Mapping Project

• 4. Productive Bias Avoidance for women
• Reduce yrs to tenure 8.6 to 7.6 yrs
• Reduce age at tenure 41 to 39.1
• 5. Unproductive Bias Avoidance
• Men reduce yrs to tenure 9.7 to 8.9 yrs
• Women reduce age ten. 40.9 to 39.9 yrs

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The Mapping Project
Bias Avoidance My babys sick, my
mother-in-laws dying, and I cant be at the
meeting. And I actually ended up going to the
meeting and leaving it in tears I mean I
dont discuss this stuff with anybody you know
what I mean? I could not have had children
while the tenure clock was ticking It would
have just sent me over the edge
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The Mapping Project
Bias Acceptance I stopped the tenure clock
and then I moved and lost some more years toward
tenure and again when I moved here and I knew I
was gonna to lose a few more years I knew we
were going to have another child so I was like
that's ok because that's the only way its going
to work.
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The Mapping Project
Daddy Privilege On missing work ...Its
viewed as cool when a dad is involved with his
kids But when a mom is doing that, its like
oh, there she goes again, you know, shes off
doing the mom thing
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Ways to Improve

• Inclusive Practices
• Work-life Policies
• Bias Resistance

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Inclusive Practices
Alternative School A faculty woman on
bringing children to the office The department
does not have a problem with it... and the
students dont have a problem with it, but in
reality it doesnt work well because the kids
want attention and students need attention...
(Woman in focus group)
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Work-Life PoliciesPRELIMINARY RESULTSMatched
data from University of Michigan Study of Family
Friendly Policies at University
(Hollenshead/Sullivan, n250)? Does a greater
number of work-family policies reduce bias
avoidance behaviors?Policy Scale Institution
has formal policy Unpaid leave beyond FMLA, Paid
dependent care leave, Modified duties, Tenure
clock stoppage, Reduced appt. extraord. Circum.,
Reduced appt./Job share, Dual career (a.63)
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Work-Life PoliciesPreliminary ResultsCorrelation
s BA Policy Scale
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Work-Life PoliciesPreliminary ResultsCorrelation
s BA Policy ScaleNote smallest
sample is 417 women parents at 41 R1/R2
Institutions
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Work-Life Policies

• Paid leave, reduced hours, child- elder-care
  supports, flexible hours
• Design to constituency
• Faculty back-up child care
• Staff child care res. ref.
• Students child care subsidies
• Communicate outside inside
• Have broad constituencies evaluate work-life
  impact of policies

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Bias Resistance

• Ask for meetings/classes during weekdays
• Take 6 weeks w. no work for new child
• Ask to include family/friends in functions
• Bring children to class/office
• Create culture of covering the work
• Be honest
• Use daddy privilege

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Eva and Sophia!