Moving Beyond Family-Friendly Policies for Faculty Mothers

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a study of family-friendly workplace policies at 17 institutions in one midwestern state to analyze the potential impact of policies on the career pathways of social work faculty on the tenure track who are mothers. The findings suggest that although institutions have responded by establishing a supportive environment for faculty mothers, they lack formal policies that support career success. The study highlights the importance of separating career-friendly policies from family-friendly policies to tackle persistent gender inequity for this subgroup of women academics.