13070: Navigating Parenthood in Academia: Crafting Your Career and Village as a Parent Academic

Friday, July 25, 2025

10:00 - 12:00 CEST (GMT+2)

Location: Bella Center: Hall C- C3-m10

Session Type: PDW (workshop)
Orientation: Research,Diversity
Highlight: DIG Highlight
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/ar4agg

Organizer(s)

CH

Christina Hymer

U. of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States
PF

Patrick Flynn

North Carolina State U., United States

Panelist(s)

SZ

Susan Zhu

U. of Kentucky, United States
LM

Lynn A. McFarland

Darla Moore School of Business, U. of South Carolina, United States
ZH

Zahra Heydarifard

Bryant U., United States
HX

Haoying Xu

Stevens Institute of Technology, United States
BH

Brad Harris

HEC Paris, France
PD

Pat Downes

U. of Kansas, United States
NC

Nitya Chawla

U. of Minnesota, Twin Cities, United States

The intersection of parenthood and academia presents unique opportunities and challenges for academics who are (or plan to become) parents. A multitude of career paths are available within academia, theoretically allowing academics agency over how they choose to craft a career amid diverse family demands. Yet, the structure of academia, such as rigid tenure-track timelines and immovable teaching schedules, can make it difficult for academics to successfully balance work and family demands. The goal of the proposed professional development workshop (PDW) is to provide a constructive forum for parent academics to build community over their shared parent and academic identities. The PDW will allow participants the opportunity to obtain practical guidance for crafting a career in academia as a parent and form a network of support as a parent academic. Prominent management scholars will serve as panelists to share their perspectives on these topics – derived from both their lived experiences and the literature. Following an opening reflective exercise and panelists’ remarks, participants will be invited to participate in two breakout table sessions with panelists. The session will conclude with a report out of main take-aways and next steps for further building community among parent academics within the Academy.