Spring 2014 in The Feminist Psychologist
Supporting Mothers in Training and Early Career
by Lauren Mizock, PhD, Chair, Motherhood Committee, Division 35, APA
I will never forget the woman who dashed into the snow halfway through our internship interview day to breastfeed her baby in a car. Or the story of a woman who lost an internship position because of the length of her maternity leave. Or the fear my colleagues have felt about telling their supervisors when they were pregnant. Though the field of psychology may take a lead in research on women, families, and parenting, many women who are mothers in the field of psychology continue to report discrimination and microaggressions related to their role as mothers. Unfortunately, some mothers in psychology have faced graduate school probation, job dismissal, and complaints related to this role.
To direct greater attention towards supporting mothers in training and early career, Erika Carr, PhD and I facilitated a roundtable discussion on this topic at APA convention last year. This discussion evolved from the Motherhood Committee of Division 35 that Dr. Carr started based on feedback from members who wanted more attention on this issue. I have since taken the reigns as the new Affiliated and Professional Representative of Div. 35 and now lead this committee in bringing increased awareness and protection of the needs and rights of mothers in the field.
Our participants at the motherhood roundtable discussed some of the problems they encountered or witnessed with regards to mothers in the field. Negotiations of maternity leave took up valuable supervision time given that clear guidelines were not in place. Precious sabbatical time was used to augment a minimal maternity leave. Despite the existence of maternity leave laws (Pregnancy and Discrimination Act; Family Medical Leave Act), many training sites and workplaces in psychology do not appear to be in accordance with them. Participants agreed that a more formal policy on the part of APA at predoctoral internship sites would be particularly valuable, which has become a central focus of our committee.
At our roundtable, we also heard positive stories of feminist training sites providing flexible maternity leave depending on the unique needs of each worker, or adjusting daily work schedules to accommodate parenting responsibilities. But what happens when women continue to feel internal pressure surrounding role conflicts? Many women anticipate pushback and do not request an adequate amount of time off. One of my feminist mentors returned to teaching two weeks after having her baby because she was concerned about the impact her time away would have on her tenure process.
Some of the burdens working mothers face may take the form of peer pressure. In a previous edition of this column, Jill Kuhn described worries that feminist friends might see her taking a maternity leave as, “failing to live up to the values of feminism. I guess they thought I’d neatly tuck my baby into my Day Planner and carry on with my full-time passionate involvement in psychology. When I did not they were rather apprehensive. It seemed I had used up my ’feminist approved’ maternity time.” While we may sometimes describe mothering as a feminist activity, are we truly supporting one another in this role?
Moreover, mothering is often seen as a detriment to one’s work as opposed to a source of inspiration or an asset. Rana Foroohar, editor for Time Magazine, commented on the strengths of mothers in the workplace on NPR’s, Tell Me More: “Talk about time management. Every working mother I know is the most effective person in meetings. They're in. They're out. They're not messing around. They're very focused.” In fact, mothers may develop unique strengths in time management or may draw inspiration from their children, which I’ve observed in the work of my colleagues in development psychology in particular.
The strengths of mothers in training became apparent while teaching. One of my students nervously approached me at the beginning of the semester to ask if she could return to the class after only two weeks away to deliver her baby. Apparently, other faculty had recommended she drop their classes for this reason. Of course, I agreed to work with her on this plan, and when she returned to class she received one of the top scores in the course. Since that time, I have had many mothers in my classes, and their commitment to continue their education is moving. I always make it a priority to support them in their mission.
Clearly, we need to support men in their roles as fathers as well. At the roundtable, we discussed the double standard surrounding men and parenting. Men are often critiqued for their involvement in parenting but are not supported in prioritizing fatherhood. We expect men in heterosexual partnerships to share more of the woman’s “second shift” workload and step up around the house. At the same time, we don’t put reasonable paternity policies in place, if at all. By supporting fathers in parenting we are also supporting mothers by relieving the childcare burden and enriching the relationships in our children’s lives. Areas of Europe are ahead of the U.S. in both paternity and maternity leave policies, modeling extensive timeframes for both. And what happens in the case of single dads or gay parents? A lack of paternity leave policies makes compulsory assumptions of heteronormativity and traditional family structures.
While I am not a mother yet, my planning in this area is not without fears about the potential clashing of childbearing and work. This fear may be remedied by a cultural shift towards seeing mothers as assets in the workplace and the development of improved policies that protect mothers and fathers in the field. The Motherhood Subcommittee of Div. 35 is hoping to take steps towards that change. Feel free to contact me if you would like to become part of our efforts to support mothers (and fathers!) in the field.