Work and Family Services Available
As part of “Access to the Profession,” an AAUP project funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for 2003 and 2004, members of the national AAUP staff are available to consult with faculty and administrators regarding the implementation of policies to assist faculty in balancing work and family responsibilities.
The Association issued its Statement of Principles on Family Responsibilities and Academic Work in 2001, providing recommendations for leaves of absence related to childbirth, adoption, and the care of dependent family members. The intent of the statement is to permit academic professionals to pursue challenging careers while still participating fully in family life. It argues that “the goal of every institution should be to create an academic community in which all members are treated equitably, families are supported, and family-care concerns are regarded as legitimate and important.”
Although this objective is equally important for men and women faculty, women continue to bear a disproportionate share of family work. Academic employment policies based on a full-time (and even overtime) career commitment without any interruptions have served as a barrier to the advancement of women into senior faculty ranks. As the statement argues, a more hospitable climate for integrating work and family responsibilities is essential for women faculty to participate on an equal basis with their male colleagues. Thus, even though addressing questions of work and family balance is not solely a women’s issue, it is an important aspect of progress toward gender equity in academic careers.
Some colleges and universities already have policies that address the objective of balancing academic work and family involvement. AAUP staff are available to visit such institutions and work with faculty groups and administrators to help stimulate the cultural changes necessary to make sure that these policies are viewed as legitimate and that they are used.
For institutions at which policies are not yet in place, the Association offers resources for policy development and modification in the work and family section of its Web site. In addition, AAUP staff members will review policies in development and answer questions, including those about the applicability of work and family policies to the tenure or appointment processes.
Members of the AAUP staff are also available to make campus presentations on work and family issues; suggestions about such presentations appear on the Web site. For more information about any of these services, please contact John Curtis, the AAUP’s research director, at (202) 737-5900.
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