Reflections From Academic Mothers of Young Children on Social Work Research and Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound societal impact with unprecedented impact on women’s labor force participation, including among academic mothers. Yet, persistent gendered and racialized inequities in academia remain structurally unaddressed, including in social work. We believe that as social work educators we are well-positioned to develop an academic culture that helps us refocus on what matters most; redefine excellence in teaching, service, and research; and make academic practice more equitable. To this end, we convened a group of social work academic mothers, representing various identities at teaching and research-intensive institutions, to offer collective perspectives and recommendations for structural change within the social work academy to buffer the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbating racial and gendered disparities.