Bournemouth University Women's Academic Network is delighted to invite you an international panel discussion on Motherhood and Academic life in the context of the pandemic. We are privileged to be joined by colleagues in the UK and across the Atlantic from Brazil.
For further information on this event please contact [email protected]
This event has been developed as an international forum for mothers with young children (aged 0-16 years) working in (paid) academic positions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The intention of the global event is to allow women academics from multiple geographical and socio-cultural contexts to share the commonalities and unique structures of their experiences as mothers of young children during this time. As well as the personal variations in experience, the global nature of this event will allow us to capture the distinct environmental contexts of mothering young children during the pandemic and, view of the multiple socio-cultural contexts in which these experiences are located.
This is a timely event as the unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the worldwide population facing challenges we could have never previously anticipated. Globally fluctuating periods of national, regional, and individual isolation have forced working professionals generally to quickly adapt to new technologies, reduction in physical working spaces, and vast decreases in the levels of professional and social contact. This has certainly been the case for academics who have faced numerous additional challenges associated with swiftly moving teaching and research activities online, whilst supporting students with increasing support needs due to the current cultural climate. As with the majority of the global population, most academics have experienced great professional and personal challenges during this time, however, even in times of relative prosperity prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the profession of academia has been shown to discriminate against certain demographic groups, namely women and particularly mothers. This, alongside the recent global crisis has cultured an exacerbation of pre-existing inequalities due to factors such as enforced homeworking alongside the periodical closure of schools, nurseries and other childcare settings.
The significant caring responsibilities of mothers of young children globally, as well as the reduction in formal and informal childcare on an international scale has informed our decision to focus on mothers with children aged 0-16. We do however acknowledge that the role of motherhood extends from the moment a woman sees or identifies herself as a mother and spans fully across the life course. Whilst women at all stages have motherhood have experienced vast challenges during this time (from having fertility treatment put on hold either permanently or temporarily, to being separated from their adult children) this event will explore the experiences unique to those with young dependent children, and the challenges associated with working in academic positions whilst caring and oft home-educating them"- Dr Joanne Mayoh and Dr Sukanya Ayatakshi-Endow, Women's Academic Network at BU.