Call December 2023
Open Call for Articles
“Achieving Work-Life Balance in Academia: Challenges and Strategies”
December 2023 Special Issue of the MCAA Newsletter (ISSN 2663-9483)
The December 2023 Special Issue (SI) of the MCAA Newsletter will discuss how personal well-being and career demands intersect in academia. While previous editions discussed mental health and diversity, this issue will particularly focus on cultural and structural aspects of academia that create barriers to achieving work-life balance for students, faculty, and researchers. The goal is not just to point out problems, but also to present successful cases as well as highlight practical ways to balance professional duties and personal needs, especially in a post-pandemic landscape.
This SI is meant as a platform for scholars at various career stages to reflect on their experiences and share their insights. It emphasizes the need to look beyond these challenges to find actionable strategies and policies that target a healthier work-life balance in academic settings.
Why Now?
The mental health challenges in the academic sector have been escalating, with a pronounced rise in reports of depression, anxiety, and other related issues. This uptick was especially evident during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (Kotini-Shah et al., 2022). Many of the challenges related to work-life balance are a result of legacy issues such as work culture and job security; they have been exacerbated by changes catalyzed by the pandemic (Vyas, 2022). For example, the interplay between work-life balance and advancements in technology and remote work has been the focus of several studies. Currie & Eveline (2011) points out that while e-technology has provided greater flexibility in work for academics, it has simultaneously blurred the lines between professional and personal life, leading to longer work hours. The pandemic also exposed systemic failures in support for healthcare, childcare, disability and chronic illness, and the cost of living that have had a significant impact on students and researchers.
Collectively, these studies suggest that challenges to work-life balance have changed considerably in the light of the pandemic. They call for a big shift in the academic culture towards a more balanced life, a point also emphasized by Tregoning (2022). Incorporating these comprehensive perspectives could therefore initiate meaningful changes in academia, creating a more supportive and less stressful atmosphere in our lives in these current times.
Open Call for Contributions
Submissions, including articles and interviews are invited from all interested MCAA members and beyond. The scope of contributions can vary, from sharing personal experiences and career decisions to outlining practical ways to achieve a balanced work-life.
Topics of Interest
We invite contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The history of work-life balance: How have academics historically struggled with work-life balance?
- Why Now: Why the emphasis on balancing life and research careers is urgent in today's academic environment?
- Leave Structures in academia: Examining attitudes and policies related to parental leave, medical leave, and sabbaticals. What are the gaps, and how can they be filled?
- Cost of living and childcare: How does the current economic situation affect academics, particularly in relation to childcare and family responsibilities?
- The mobility challenge: Discussion around how frequent relocations and long-distance commuting affect personal life and emotional well-being.
- Disability and chronic illness: Investigations into the existing support mechanisms for academics dealing with long-term health issues and how these can be improved.
- The conference / volunteering activities commitment dilemma: Examining how increasing demand for participation in conferences, particularly in networking and volunteering roles, impacts personal life.
- Job security: Discussion around the scarcity of stable job opportunities, short-term contracts, inadequate compensation and the two-body problem. The dialogue can explore how these employment conditions can undermine established personal support networks and adversely affect family life.
- Remote working: Advantages and disadvantages in the context of work-life balance.
- Policy or strategy implementations: Effective measures for improving better work-life balance in academia.
- Success stories: Case studies of initiatives that have successfully promoted work-life balance and mental well-being.
How to Submit:
- All MCAA members are encouraged to submit their pitches (50-150 words) via the form linked below by October 20, 2023.
- Authors of accepted pitches would be notified on a rolling basis, but no later than October 20, 2023, and will then be invited to submit a full article (approximately 750 words, drafted as per the MCAA editorial guidelines and the editorial rules – instructions for authors).
- The deadline for initial draft submissions is November 5, 2023.
All contributions will be reviewed by the Guest-editors, supported by the MCAA Editorial Board.
References
Currie, J., & Eveline, J. (2011). E-technology and work/life balance for academics with young children. Higher Education, 62, 533–550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9404-9
Kotini-Shah, P., Man, B., Pobee, R., Hirshfield, L. E., Risman, B. J., Buhimschi, I. A., & Weinreich, H. M. (2022). Work–life balance and productivity among academic faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis. Journal of Women's Health, 31(3), 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0277
Tregoning, J. (2022). Balance is needed when discussing academic careers. Nature, Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03216-3
Vyas, L. (2022). “New normal” at work in a post-COVID world: work–life balance and labor markets. Policy and Society, 41(1), 155–167. https://doi.org/10.1093/polsoc/puab011