Comments on: Casualties of academia, or casualties of patriarchy? http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/ History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present Sun, 19 May 2013 22:58:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Claire http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-427364 Claire Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:17:10 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-427364 I am both relieved and dismayed as I read both Historiann and Dr. Crazy's blogs and the comments on the difficulties faced by women in academia. I'm a 30-year old lecturer,recently married, working on my PhD, at a South African university. And while we have a different employment system here which allows me to have a permanent position in an academic department, without a completed PhD, the issues and challenges still resonant with myself and my female colleagues in similar positions. All the female academics around us either do not have children, are divorced or married to other academics, have children but only completed their doctorates recently and are now approaching mandatory retirement at aged 60 (how crazy is that!!), or have children and have never completed their PhDs. There is not a single person in our cluster of humanties departments, who has been where I am currently and has succeed - ie, has a permanent position, a stable marriage, a PhD and children before the age of 35. And while that may appear just wildly ambitious, it is sitting in the realm of possiblity. And perhaps that is why I am relieved and dismayed. Relieved that other women across the globe are experiencing these same challenges and structural problems, and dismayed that other women across the globe are experiencing these same challenges and structural problems. I hoped when I started looking for blogs dealing with this topic that I would find that someone had the answers, that it was different elsewhere, that our situation was somehow uniquely flawed. But it has in fact given me hope to know that it's not just us, we're not just faltering or getting it wrong, but there is in fact a broader systemic and cultural issue of women, both in academia and else where, still being subjected to discriminatory and damaging double-standards. So, yes the system is a cock-up and we just have to fight it day by day, and not be conned into thinking that we are to blame! I am both relieved and dismayed as I read both Historiann and Dr. Crazy’s blogs and the comments on the difficulties faced by women in academia. I’m a 30-year old lecturer,recently married, working on my PhD, at a South African university. And while we have a different employment system here which allows me to have a permanent position in an academic department, without a completed PhD, the issues and challenges still resonant with myself and my female colleagues in similar positions. All the female academics around us either do not have children, are divorced or married to other academics, have children but only completed their doctorates recently and are now approaching mandatory retirement at aged 60 (how crazy is that!!), or have children and have never completed their PhDs. There is not a single person in our cluster of humanties departments, who has been where I am currently and has succeed – ie, has a permanent position, a stable marriage, a PhD and children before the age of 35. And while that may appear just wildly ambitious, it is sitting in the realm of possiblity. And perhaps that is why I am relieved and dismayed. Relieved that other women across the globe are experiencing these same challenges and structural problems, and dismayed that other women across the globe are experiencing these same challenges and structural problems. I hoped when I started looking for blogs dealing with this topic that I would find that someone had the answers, that it was different elsewhere, that our situation was somehow uniquely flawed. But it has in fact given me hope to know that it’s not just us, we’re not just faltering or getting it wrong, but there is in fact a broader systemic and cultural issue of women, both in academia and else where, still being subjected to discriminatory and damaging double-standards. So, yes the system is a cock-up and we just have to fight it day by day, and not be conned into thinking that we are to blame!

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-426660 Historiann Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:41:17 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-426660 Wow, perpetua--that is pretty awesome. You have a forward-thinking employer. Thanks for the further explanation. Wow, perpetua–that is pretty awesome. You have a forward-thinking employer. Thanks for the further explanation.

]]> By: perpetua http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-426658 perpetua Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:39:53 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-426658 Oh, sorry for the incoherent explanation. Basically, the benefit is run by a national organization that vets individual babysitters as well as day care centers. When you call the "emergency care" number, they can either send someone directly to your home, or find you a spot in a daycare facility (day care has a lower co-pay). So you don't need to take your kids out of the house if they're not feeling well. But the issues that qualify you for the emergency care are generous - illness of child, illness of normal caregiver (ie nanny or home nurse for an elderly parent), holiday at school, your partner who is at home has to be away, etc. They don't mind if one parent is actually at home, but needs to work and can't also watch the child. We used the service while my husband was working but before we got our child care situation ironed out. They take care of everything (you're even billed later, so no fussing with the co pay at the time), and it can be as little as 4 hrs before the care is needed. Oh, sorry for the incoherent explanation. Basically, the benefit is run by a national organization that vets individual babysitters as well as day care centers. When you call the “emergency care” number, they can either send someone directly to your home, or find you a spot in a daycare facility (day care has a lower co-pay). So you don’t need to take your kids out of the house if they’re not feeling well. But the issues that qualify you for the emergency care are generous – illness of child, illness of normal caregiver (ie nanny or home nurse for an elderly parent), holiday at school, your partner who is at home has to be away, etc. They don’t mind if one parent is actually at home, but needs to work and can’t also watch the child. We used the service while my husband was working but before we got our child care situation ironed out. They take care of everything (you’re even billed later, so no fussing with the co pay at the time), and it can be as little as 4 hrs before the care is needed.

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-426520 Historiann Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:27:33 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-426520 Perpetua--thanks for the info. Does this mean that you bring your child or family member to campus, and they're cared for there? Is it a reimbursement for finding your own emergency care? I'm unclear as to what exactly this benefit is and how it works. 10 days is pretty generous. Perpetua–thanks for the info. Does this mean that you bring your child or family member to campus, and they’re cared for there? Is it a reimbursement for finding your own emergency care?

I’m unclear as to what exactly this benefit is and how it works. 10 days is pretty generous.

]]> By: perpetua http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-426509 perpetua Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:15:39 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-426509 Oh, just as PSA, I discovered recently that my uni has this fabulous benefit (I know! there's such a thing as a fabulous benefit!) for caregivers, whether you have kids or an elderly parent to watch - it's emergency backup care available at the last minute for a variety of reasons (like child illness or holiday at school), 10 days per year. You pay a copay out of pocket, but the rest is covered by the uni. This is *not* a cure-all for working mothers/care givers, but it does help. Every business and university should have one. If your uni doesn't, it's something that could be taken up in the faculty senate. (Although in this economic climate, obviously no one is going to be adding any benefits - think long term ways to make changes.) Oh, just as PSA, I discovered recently that my uni has this fabulous benefit (I know! there’s such a thing as a fabulous benefit!) for caregivers, whether you have kids or an elderly parent to watch – it’s emergency backup care available at the last minute for a variety of reasons (like child illness or holiday at school), 10 days per year. You pay a copay out of pocket, but the rest is covered by the uni. This is *not* a cure-all for working mothers/care givers, but it does help. Every business and university should have one. If your uni doesn’t, it’s something that could be taken up in the faculty senate. (Although in this economic climate, obviously no one is going to be adding any benefits – think long term ways to make changes.)

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-425910 Historiann Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:09:45 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-425910 Dr. Crazy--yes, my point exactly. It's like the uni saying, "oops, we didn't know we'd actually have to PAY that electricity bill!" or "sorry folks--we can't pay your insurance premiums--oopsie!" As Emma suggested above--the uni certainly has systems for finding substitutes when a staff person will be out for an extended period of time. Why not for faculty? It just seems like part of the cost of doing business responsibly--you pay your unemployment taxes, you cover payroll, and you keep a little pot of money in a budget somewhere to pay for temporary help in case of illness or disability of a faculty member. truffula--I'm sorry you had such a difficult labor and deliverty, but your story illustrates my point exactly: your chair was kind to tell you to hang up and have your baby, but ze was right--it is part of hir job. All Deans and department chairs keep little piles of money in their budgets in case the floor drops out from under them. (Or in my department's case, the roof drops on us and/or the heating and cooling system bursts and leaks all over people's offices...) Dr. Crazy–yes, my point exactly. It’s like the uni saying, “oops, we didn’t know we’d actually have to PAY that electricity bill!” or “sorry folks–we can’t pay your insurance premiums–oopsie!”

As Emma suggested above–the uni certainly has systems for finding substitutes when a staff person will be out for an extended period of time. Why not for faculty? It just seems like part of the cost of doing business responsibly–you pay your unemployment taxes, you cover payroll, and you keep a little pot of money in a budget somewhere to pay for temporary help in case of illness or disability of a faculty member.

truffula–I’m sorry you had such a difficult labor and deliverty, but your story illustrates my point exactly: your chair was kind to tell you to hang up and have your baby, but ze was right–it is part of hir job. All Deans and department chairs keep little piles of money in their budgets in case the floor drops out from under them. (Or in my department’s case, the roof drops on us and/or the heating and cooling system bursts and leaks all over people’s offices…)

]]> By: truffula http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-425812 truffula Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:16:04 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-425812 I went into pre-term labor and wound up in the hospital for 36 hours or so of labor before a somewhat too dramatic "okay, were doing this NOW" (but ultimately okay) C-section several weeks into a new quarter. I was chastised by my department chair for calling in from my hospital bed to help him figure out how to cover my classes. I was, and continue to be years later, very grateful for that simple expression of compassion, telling me I had far more important things to do than worry about my classes. I'm at a state school where they tell us money is always tight, but my chair saw figuring stuff like this out as part of his job. That said, I am at a state school where they tell us money is always tight, and I went back to teaching the next quarter. I went into pre-term labor and wound up in the hospital for 36 hours or so of labor before a somewhat too dramatic “okay, were doing this NOW” (but ultimately okay) C-section several weeks into a new quarter. I was chastised by my department chair for calling in from my hospital bed to help him figure out how to cover my classes. I was, and continue to be years later, very grateful for that simple expression of compassion, telling me I had far more important things to do than worry about my classes. I’m at a state school where they tell us money is always tight, but my chair saw figuring stuff like this out as part of his job. That said, I am at a state school where they tell us money is always tight, and I went back to teaching the next quarter.

]]> By: Dr. Crazy http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-425743 Dr. Crazy Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:31:50 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-425743 I think the point, Colonial, is that this is WRONG. The price of doing business is budgeting for unforeseen expenses when employees for some reason cannot fulfill their duties. WHATEVER the university's budget situation, the reality is that they shouldn't expect people to do extra work (beyond their contracts) for free. Department budgets are supposed to be for operating expenses - office supplies, travel money, money for events, etc. Hiring lines (at least at my institution, but it's my understanding that this is true commonly) come from a different budget area (all originating with the provost). This is why a university can strip a department of a lecturer or of a t-t line - because that money isn't the department's. In other words, the "institutional thing" that you note is otherwise known as "exploitation." Obviously, I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like from here. I think the point, Colonial, is that this is WRONG. The price of doing business is budgeting for unforeseen expenses when employees for some reason cannot fulfill their duties. WHATEVER the university’s budget situation, the reality is that they shouldn’t expect people to do extra work (beyond their contracts) for free. Department budgets are supposed to be for operating expenses – office supplies, travel money, money for events, etc. Hiring lines (at least at my institution, but it’s my understanding that this is true commonly) come from a different budget area (all originating with the provost). This is why a university can strip a department of a lecturer or of a t-t line – because that money isn’t the department’s. In other words, the “institutional thing” that you note is otherwise known as “exploitation.” Obviously, I could be wrong, but that’s what it seems like from here.

]]> By: Colonial http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-425655 Colonial Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:50:14 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-425655 Maybe it's an institutional thing. Our state school is often on very tight budgets, and departments have been told that they are basically on their own if things pop up during the semester -- if they want to hire a temporary replacement, departments have to raid the department travel/research funds to do so. Maybe it’s an institutional thing. Our state school is often on very tight budgets, and departments have been told that they are basically on their own if things pop up during the semester — if they want to hire a temporary replacement, departments have to raid the department travel/research funds to do so.

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2009/09/01/casualties-of-academia-or-casualties-of-patriarchy/comment-page-1/#comment-425651 Historiann Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:26:56 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=7146#comment-425651 Colonial, I don't think you should have been expected to make your own arrangement, either. The institution should have a budget and a plan in place to accomodate faculty illness or disability. It should not put people in the position you were put in--i.e. to rely on the kindness of your colleagues. It's not an "order" if it comes from a department Chair--but a request to assist with covering a colleague's classes would be a lot easier to do cheerfully if it were done with the offer of extra pay or extra travel money. Then no one feels beholden, no one feels guilty, and everyone wins. Colonial, I don’t think you should have been expected to make your own arrangement, either. The institution should have a budget and a plan in place to accomodate faculty illness or disability. It should not put people in the position you were put in–i.e. to rely on the kindness of your colleagues. It’s not an “order” if it comes from a department Chair–but a request to assist with covering a colleague’s classes would be a lot easier to do cheerfully if it were done with the offer of extra pay or extra travel money. Then no one feels beholden, no one feels guilty, and everyone wins.

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