Role of Institutional Climate on Underrepresented Faculty Perceptions and Decision Making in Use of Work-Family Policies
Article
Castañeda, M, Zambrana, RE, Marsh, K et al. (2015). Role of Institutional Climate on Underrepresented Faculty Perceptions and Decision Making in Use of Work-Family Policies
. FAMILY RELATIONS, 64(5), 711-725. 10.1111/fare.12159
Castañeda, M, Zambrana, RE, Marsh, K et al. (2015). Role of Institutional Climate on Underrepresented Faculty Perceptions and Decision Making in Use of Work-Family Policies
. FAMILY RELATIONS, 64(5), 711-725. 10.1111/fare.12159
The authors examined the institutional challenges that underrepresented minority (URM) faculty perceive in higher education with use of family support workplace policies. Evidence reveals that faculty encounter differences in access to information and explanations of how to use workplace-family statutes. A qualitative study of 58 URM faculty members highlighted five particularly notable themes: (a) faculty perceptions of how the institution views their family caregiving responsibilities, (b) inadequate compensation matters in the utilization of formal policies, (c) informal policies are often inaccessible and invisible, (d) social networks affect the inclusiveness of work-family institutional practices, and (e) fear of being regarded as a "red flag" constrains decisions regarding the use of policies. Given the push in higher education to diversify its faculty ranks, if administrators are to successfully implement diversity, equity, and inclusion and retain URM faculty, institutions need to pay particular attention to how URM faculty experience the academic climate regarding work-family balance.
