Emeritus Prof. Christopher MayJun 5

We live in a society where carers are kept on the margins, not central to how maintenance of the wellbeing of the *whole* population should work.

'The problem for both feminism & capitalism is that mothers must routinely combine paid work & caring responsibilities in order to make a living.... women are navigating systems that position care as a disruption rather than an important and valued form of work and identity'...

Care is central to the future.

#politics
https://theconversation.com/more-joy-less-juggle-why-workplaces-should-get-on-board-with-the-value-of-care-280179

More joy, less juggle? Why workplaces should get on board with the value of care

Caring is often framed as a burden or challenge, rather than something that’s enjoyable and benefits society.

The Conversation
Show threadCybermatronJun 6

@ChrisMayLA6 I could avoid derailing my career through childcare by not having children. As an only child myself, I could not avoid the gap that opened up because I had to take two year‘s unpaid leave to move back to Germany to care for my mother in her final days.

The uni loved the savings it could make when it temporarily replaced me with a much cheaper early career teaching fellow. It has not allowed me to forget that my research profile was severely damaged by that period.

Show threadCybermatron
@ChrisMayLA6 The skills I acquired as my mum’s carer and legal guardian as well as those I learned in the job I took during those two years to pay the bills were instrumental when I later took on a big leadership role at the Uni, which involved helping to steer my department through a period of extreme upheaval. But because academia is blind to anything outside its own walls, this was never acknowledged, and my time away is classed solely as a “career disruption“.
Jun 6 at 12:42pmWeb
Show threadCybermatronJun 6

@ChrisMayLA6 I have looked around, and while a lot of my female colleagues have similar stories to tell, I’ve not been able to find a male colleague who has been in the same bind. I’m sure they exist, but apparently not in the kind of elite institution that I work for.

The waste of female talent and potential is staggering and only seems to get worse as times get tougher. Late stage capitalism is eating its own children. But mostly the girls.

Show threadEmeritus Prof. Christopher MayJun 6

@TheCybermatron

Agreed; although my pre-academic experience was also down-played despite its contribution to my career - and don't get me started on ageism when a late academic starter... but not as bad as the problem with taking time off to parent or care

Show threadEmeritus Prof. Christopher MayJun 6

@TheCybermatron

I know that story... have seen it often at my old Uni too