Academic mothers as “ideal workers” in both the US and Finland

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose was to explore how women academics in Finland and the US experience academic motherhood, how they time their pregnancy, and the ways in which the 10;different policy environments shape their decisions and experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

The interviewer collected data through 10;semi-structured, long interviews with 67 academic mothers, 33 in Finland and 34 in the US. They were recorded and transcribed, then analyzed for themes.

Findings

In Finland, the insecurity of fixed-term contracts and the growing influence of the neoliberal “ideal worker” concept influenced decisions despite the generous work-family policies of the Government. In the US, meanwhile, concerns about age-related infertility had a bigger impact than career risks. One thing the US and Finnish women had in common was a feeling of being under pressure to maintain their presence at work while on maternity leave.

Originality/value

Cross-cultural studies of academic motherhood are rare. The choice of Finland and the US was instructive because of the different work-family policies in place. Finland has some of the most generous family leave policies in the world, whereas the US has not yet seen a federal, paid maternity leave policy.

Citation

(2020), "Academic mothers as “ideal workers” in both the US and Finland", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 19-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-02-2020-0041