The challenges of balancing fatherhood and research: Father's Day
Fatherhood can be a transformative journey that brings profound joy, introduces challenges, and leads men to reassess their priorities. Regardless of gender, the transition to parenthood isn’t easy. Balancing the demands of being a parent with the rigorous expectations of an academic career can be particularly daunting. This World Father’s Day, I would like to highlight the difficulties and rewards of juggling these roles, as well as provide some ideas for how fatherhood and academia need not be at odds.
The paternity leave conundrum
The importance of paternal involvement in early childhood is well known. For example, the involvement of fathers is correlated with academic achievement in children. Paternity leave is a major way that men can be involved at the earliest stages of their children’s lives. Sadly, even when fathers are afforded generous paternity leave packages, few men actually use them. As one example, Japan offers up to a year of paid paternity leave, but the vast majority of Japanese men take no leave at all!
Men who do not take paternity leave offer various reasons for not using it, including loss of income, feelings of being judged, and not wanting to let down their team. You may notice a common thread running through these reasons—They often feel that they cannot take paternity leave for professional reasons, showing that there is still need for greater institutional support.
Furthermore, paternity leave laws vary greatly by country. The United States quite famously has no paid leave for either gender, and only 12 weeks of unpaid leave for each parent. Lack of sufficient paternity leave means researchers may have to return to the lab or classroom shortly after their child’s birth, missing out on critical bonding time and early developmental milestones.
Unspoken expectations
Most cultures proscribe strong societal expectations for men, including the expectation that they prioritize their careers over family life. Traditional gender roles often dictate that men should be the main breadwinners, leading to imbalances in parenting responsibilities. This can result in guilt and stress as they strive to meet professional and personal expectations. Furthermore, women can also be excluded by these rigid gender roles.
Research may not be a famously “macho” field, but it is competitive—We’ve all had the colleague who bragged about their all-nighters. Academic culture rewards long hours and constant availability, creating a challenging environment for fathers who are actively involved in their children’s lives.
Even if nobody tells them to “man up” and stay in the office, there is still an unspoken expectation that men maintain their professional output regardless of their new responsibilities at home. Failing to facilitate a good work-life balance can both reinforce unproductive gender roles and harm life satisfaction, contributing to the high attrition rates among researchers.
Support for child rearing
You may have heard the proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I always understood the proverb, but having my own kids made me really understand it. Parenting without external help is physically and mentally taxing, and childcare is not cheap.
Researchers often live far from their extended family, leaving them with no relatives to fall back on to help with raising children. Therefore, childcare arrangements are crucial to ensuring that researchers can fulfill their professional potential. This often means helping with day-to-day childcare arrangements, including providing daycare stipends or even setting up an on-campus daycare facility. Additionally, many conferences now recognize the need to set up childcare arrangements. While there have been successful initiatives to help parents attend conferences, only continued institutional support can maintain this trend.
Single fathers in academia
Being both a single parent and an academic is incredibly difficult. Single-parent households with a father are becoming more commonplace, and their needs are no different from those of single mothers. Single fathers in academia need to balance their busy research and teaching schedules with school drop-offs, doctor’s appointments, and extracurricular activities alone.
Without a strong support system, single fathers face a near-impossible challenge. As well as the usual institutional resources afforded to all parents, single parents need flexible working arrangements, including remote work and flexible hours.
How researchers can balance fatherhood and research
Institutions may have a responsibility to facilitate good father-child relationships, but researchers can help themselves, too.
Institutions that provide flexible work, on-site childcare, and robust paternity leave policies can significantly ease the burden on researcher fathers. If your institution lacks these, it is important to advocate for more family-friendly working conditions. It’s also worth looking into what your rights are—many men are unaware of their right to flexible work, for example.
Work-life balance is great, but another way to reduce the burden is “work-life integration.” Rather than compartmentalizing your work and family life, fathers can look for ways to blend them harmoniously, such as bringing your child to family-friendly academic events for bonding time while fulfilling professional responsibilities.
Finally, learn to prioritize and delegate your tasks effectively both at work and at home. Communicate with your wife or partner about sharing parenting duties and keep them in the loop about your workload. Being open about your needs to your supervisors or colleagues can also help you manage research workloads during critical parenting periods, such as an unexpected bout of influenza (speaking from experience!)
Conclusion
Balancing parenthood and a research career is undoubtedly challenging, but the right support systems and institutional culture can greatly reduce these burdens. This World Father’s Day, let’s celebrate the resilience and dedication of researcher fathers who navigate this intricate balance every day. By advocating for better policies and fostering supportive environments, we can ensure that the joys and responsibilities of fatherhood are fully embraced, enriching both personal and professional lives. If you’re both a busy researcher and dad, you deserve to feel proud for having the strength and adaptability required to thrive in both arenas.
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