Page 31 - NovDec16.FTM

was exceeded for associate professor participants in the last year, as well
as for full professor participants. Our investigation revealed total publications across one’s career ranged from 0 to 120, with a mode of 6, a mean of 17.25, and standard deviation of 25.1. Within the last year, the average publications were 1.52 for assistant professors, 2.35 for associate professors, and 4.75 for full professors (see Figure 1).
These challenges are also noted in a recent study colleagues and I conducted assessing the benefits and challenges
of being an academic woman in MFT and family studies programs. Common challenges discussed included difficulty in prioritizing time, prioritizing values, and not having enough personal and/or professional support. A majority of our female MFT and family studies faculty- participants reported teaching two to three courses per semester (excluding summer) (34% taught two courses per semester; 27% taught three courses).
This increased emphasis on teaching may have negative implications for tenure decisions because it reduces the time available for publishing (Eagan & Garvey, 2015; Hancock & Baum, 2010).
On top of our roles as academics and the time constraints associated with that role, it is tough to be a clinician. Research by Chung, Song, Kim, Woolliscroft, Quint, Lukacs, and Gyetko (2010) found both male and female faculty with clinical appointments
are somewhat less satisfied with how they were mentored and clarity with regard to the promotion process. While not directly speaking toward lack of clarity because of their clinical roles,
the participants in our study did discuss the importance of mentorship as they pursued their careers, with many having good examples of the impact of positive mentoring relationships and others still in search of that type of relationship.
There may also be an impact in the numbers of articles female clinical faculty produce as compared to men, with this disparity attributed to clinical roles (Eloy et al., 2013). Further, prior to accepting an academic job, one’s training may be disrupted, which
may also interfere with professional progression. In our study, 27% of the female participants indicated work/ volunteerism disrupted their training, with another 20% noting having/raising children was that which disrupted them. In many cases, academic women in
MFT experience double marginalization (Suleiman, 2002)—we are marginalized both as female academics and as clinicians.
Personally, I am not sure I have completely resolved the time constraint issue—researcher, clinician, teacher, mother—in my own mind. The work- balance issue is as physical as it is emotional and cognitive. How do we
as family specialists justify supporting
FIGURE 1: Mean number of publications and presentations by rank
1.52 5.16
6.16 2.46
13.64
2.27 6.06
16.38 2.56
4.75
13.42
4.33
PUBS LAST YEAR
PUBS LAST 5 YEARS TOTAL PUBS PRESENTATION LAST YEAR PRESENTATION TOTAL
33.82
48.08
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 29
79.17
FULL ASSOCIATE ASSISTANT