This volume focuses on the diverse ways in which mothers working within academia seek to find others with similar experiences to build virtual communities. Although the faculty and student populations of universities have diversified, mothers in academia are disproportionately overrepresented in precarious faculty and staff positions and continue to experience myriad institutional and interpersonal barriers, such as gender wage gaps that are exacerbated by stop-the-clock tenure policies, inadequate parental leave policies, expensive or scarce local childcare options, and social biases. The book gives space to the many ways women create and challenge their own versions of motherhood through a digital “village,” examining how academic mothers use virtual communities to seek and enact different kinds of support.
Author(s): Sarah Trocchio, Lisa K. Hanasono, Jessica Jorgenson Borchert, Rachael Dwyer, Jeanette Yih Harvie
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 370
City: London
Preface
Part 1: Identity and Marginalization
Part 2: Connection and Support
Part 3: Pandemic Parenting
A Thank You to All Academic Mothers* and Our Reviewers
Acknowledgments
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
It Takes a Village: Academic Mothers Building Online Communities
Introduction
Context for AcaMamas: Who, When, and Why
Virtual Villages: Building Relationships Online
What Do We Mean by Virtual Villages?
Positive Impacts of Virtual Villages
Challenges with Virtual Spaces
Supportive Online Communities as Sites for Scholarly Collaborations
Conclusion
References
Part I: Identity and Marginalization
How Finding Identity with an Online Community Led to Advocacy
(Un)Supported: Challenges and Opportunities Experienced by Academic Mothers of Color in Online Communities
Literature Review
Seeking and Exchanging Online Support
An Intersectional Approach
Research Questions
Method
Participants
Procedures
Positionality, Coding, and Trustworthiness
Findings
Key Challenges
Recommendations for Moderators and Members
Discussion
Key Findings and Implications
Conclusion
References
Barefoot Strangers: Multinational Digital Epistemologies of Academic Moms, Mamás, Mamy, Umahat
Positionality: Our Collective “We”
Boxed in the Fem-Hyphen
Research Design and Procedure: A Poly-ethnography of Our Digital Selves
Digital Setting
Digital Dialogues
Results: Consume-Create-Social Outcomes from Digital Connections
Facing the Disruption: Challenges of Working from Home
Reflecting as Academic Scholars with Mom Guilt
Academic Productivity During COVID-19
The Role of Pandemic Digital Spaces
Cooperative Learning Processes
Empowered Through Shared Digital Safe Spaces
From Professional Academic Collaboration to Intercontinental Friendships
Conclusions: New Normal to New Paradigms
References
Creating an Online Community of Support: Mothers of Children with Disabilities Working in the Academy
Benefits
Challenges/Opportunities
References
Who Is There When Everything Changes?: The Anchoring Effect of Online Maternal Support Groups During Periods of Liminal Professional Identity
Introduction
Literature Review
Identity and Role Transitions
Internet Support Groups
Context and Methods
Methods
About the Group
About the Authors (Emily, Caitlin, Traci, and Elisheva)
Data and Findings
Emily’s Story
Elisheva’s Story
Caitlin’s Story
Traci’s Story
Discussion
Conclusion
References
How Academic Mothers Experience Face Threatening Acts and Reinforcing Facework on Instagram
Mothers in the Academy
Academic Motherhood in Online Communities
Instagram
Hashtags
Politeness Theory
Method
Positionality Statement
Findings
Discussion
Limitations
Conclusion and Application
References
#GradStudentMom Finds Community Online
References
Being Alone Together: The Affordances and Constraints of Social Media Groups for Single Moms
Introduction
Social Media Groups for Single Moms in Academia: Affordances and Limitations
Single Mom’s Experiences in a Digital Village
Group Cohesion
Offering Support
Requesting Support
The Limitations of a Digital Village
Conclusion
References
Part II: Connection and Support
Dealing with Death in Academia, or when 11,000 Mamas* Had my Back
The Face(book) of Academic Motherhood: Online Communities Respond to the Traumatic and the Mundane
Coup Mothers
Love in the Time of Laundry
A Coda: Making Sense of Art
Laura’s Response to “Coup Mothers”
Agata’s Response to “Love in the Time of Laundry”
Art and Social Science
Loose Connections
Privilege in Mothering and Digital Communities
Digital Communities
Healing Intergenerational Patterns
Art, Scholarship, and Motherhood
References
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Scorned Woman’s Friend: Reflected Anger in Academic Mother* Online Groups
Existing Models of Social Support and Supportive Communication
Social Support Versus Supportive Communication
Reflected Anger
Empathic Anger
Communal Coping
Co-rumination
Academic Mothers’ Groups as a Unique Context for Reflected Anger
Social Support in Online Spaces
The “AcaMama” Space
Reflected Anger and Acamamas*
Contextualizing Reflected Anger for Acamamas*
Limitations
Conclusion
References
Online Groups as Source for Communication about the Taboo: Sexual Implications for Academic Mothers*
The Impact of Motherhood on Sexuality
The Impact of Academic Work on Women’s Sexuality
Mothers Need Social Support
Online Sources of Support and Information for Mothers
Group Composition
My Experiences Navigating Motherhood and Sexuality
How Can Online Groups Offer Support Related to Sexuality?
Advice and Celebration of Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Normalization of Reduced Sexual Desire and Sexual Frequency
Addressing Painful Sex
Conclusion
References
Social Support Theory: Physical Isolation and Academia with Children
Methods
Study Participants
Participants
Participant Recruitment
Recruitment Process
Participant Selection
Data Collection
Recording and Data Transformation
Analysis
Methodological Integrity
Results
Participation in Online Communities: Providing and Receiving Support
Emotional Support
Informational Support
Tangible Support
Online Communities Mitigate In-Person Social Support Network Gaps
Social Support and the Pandemic
Social Support Theory and Geographically Isolated, Academic Mothers
Discussion and Conclusion
Appendix 1
References
Part III: Pandemic Parenting
Building Welcoming Spaces on Social Media: Motherhood in Academia During a Pandemic and Beyond
Twitter as the Gate to Friendship
References
Drafting while Drifting: Developing a Digital Village of Support and Advocacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Beginning Our Digital Advocacy: Recommendations for Supporting Caregivers
Our Stories
Tanya’s Story: While Having Contractions…
Sara’s Story: The Long Momless Stretch
Diane’s Story: I Keep Walking
Untenable and Unbearable
Tanya’s Story Continued: Postpartum Haze
Not Going to Make It
Stuck in a Loop
Diane’s Story Continued: The Run-Around
12/2020
Tanya’s Story Continued: Constant Closures: Fall 2021
A Week before Classes Start
Week 3
Weeks 4 and 5
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Sara’s Story Continued: Danger Room
4/2/20
4/6/20
9/3/21
Limited Pathways
Sara’s Story Continued: Journal Entry 10/6/21
Diane’s Story Continued: A Rambling 10/1/2020
Picking Up Pieces
References
Building a Virtual Village: Academic Mothers’* Online Social Networking During COVID-19
Theoretical Framework
Methodology and Analysis
Findings
Structural Social Capital: Establishing Accepted Ways of Interacting
Establishing Posting Norms
Establishing Community Protection: Building a “Safe Space”
Cognitive Social Capital: Shared Values Creating Space for Authenticity
Creating a Learning Environment
Relational Social Capital: A Transformative Community
Fostering Trust and Reciprocity
Discussion
Theoretical Implications
Future Research
Conclusion
References
The First Rule about Writing Group: How a Virtual Writing Group Changed My Trajectory Without Saying a Word
“Comedy and Tragedy,” or How We Used Our Group Chat to Fill the Pandemic Care Gap
Introduction
Our Conversations
Spring 2020
Summer 2020
Fall 2020
Spring 2021
Conclusion
References
Kids at the Door: An Autoethnography of Our Shared Research Identity as Academic Mothers in Virtual Collaboration
Introduction
Our Group Framework: Partners and Parents
Kristina
Sara
Olga
Dee Dee
Pandemic Impact on Our Virtual Lives
Virtual Collaboration
Conclusion
References
Index
