Abstract
This chapter explores the impact of motherhood on the professional identities of female leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on five principles related to parenting a young child that one might apply to one's experiences as a female leader during the COVID-19 pandemic: 1) listen with your eyes, 2) recognize that not knowing is part of growing, 3) release the need for perfection, 4) engage in restorative rituals, and 5) focus on those things that are within your control. It also expands upon the notion that creating an emotional climate where faculty, staff, and administrators can bring their “whole selves” to work would be beneficial, both during a pandemic and beyond.
TopBackground
The ongoing challenges involved in balancing personal and career ambitions have created a consequential test for mothers in academia. A recent study of women in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany has revealed that pandemic has amplified existing gender inequalities that existed in academia well before the pandemic – such as lower salaries, lack of adequate mentoring, and biases involved in recruitment and retention efforts (Mavin et al., 2020). A combination of both maternal and professional interruptions (Spradley et al., 2020) have intensified academic mothers’ sense of uncertainty and insecurity about the future of their careers (Minello et al., 2020). Many women in academia are finding themselves heavily tending to housework and childcare, which is now being referred to as their “third shift.” and are disrupted more than fathers during their work-days because of childcare needs (McDermott, 2020). In some countries, such as Brazil and India, researchers (Collier de Medonca et al., 2020; Roy, 2021) describe the stressful clash between professional and familial obligations that already existed previously but has been exacerbated due to patriarchal norms. At some higher education institutions, female faculty members are finding that they are not provided the same types of support and resources that they are being expected to provide for their own students (Burk et al., 2020).
Motherhood challenges women in general, but social constructed and gender stereotyped expectations about motherhood often do not account for the additional responsibility of professional leadership (Levitt, 2010). Ironically, some nations have fared noticeably better than others in containing the virus – and these countries tend to have female leaders. Global female leaders have been lauded in the media for displaying several qualities which are considered essential for crisis leadership, including, but not limited to, compassion for putting people’s lives first, taking early action, and being decisive (Retrieved on 9/18/2020, https://www.businessbecause.com/news/insights/7028/learn-female-leadership-covid-19). Some (Johnson & Williams, 2020) would argue that opportunities have opened up for highly regarded “protective femininity”, such as that demonstrated by successful female world leaders such as New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Arden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Authenticity: Being true to one’s convictions and value systems.
Mindfulness: The state of being focused on the present moment.
Identity: One’s sense of self, largely informed by past, present, and future images of oneself in context.
Imperfection: A state of physical or psychological “messiness.”
Gender Inequality: The notion that gender may adversely impact an individual’s access to opportunities.
Crisis Leadership: The process of leading an organization’s response to a high impact situation.
Restorative Ritual: Any practice that enhances one’s physical or psychological well-being.