I got a lot more productive once I had kids.
Before that, it was easy to slack off, because I could always (hypothetically, rarely actually) go nuts and pull some serious all-nighters and so on and finish projects heroically at teh last minute. And besides, if I fail no one but me suffers.
Now, neither of those things are true. I'm much more disciplined with the time I do have. Lots more done.
The one problem with the flexibility of our job is in intra-household discussions. Many days I wish that I had a boss who would scream at me if I showed up after 9 or left before 5 more than once every couple of weeks, or who could instruct me that I absolutely must appear at certain conferences or take business trips. Instead, there is constant negotiation with my spouse, who does have the boss and the rigid work hours.
Sure, we can talk through it and compromise, but life would be easier if all of this stuff were just off the table.
It's pretty clear that more is expected of childless faculty. This is institutionalized with parental leave at most places and reinforced by informal expectations. If you think, as at least one prolific poster on this board does, that children are purely a matter of personal consumption and enjoyment, interchangeable from a department's perspective with any other all-consuming hobby, then it's not fair.
You people all act like there is some sort of rule system out here on these things. Let's make this clear: when it comes to tenure it's mostly about what your colleagues think about you. Numbers, metrics, rules -- for the most part they're all fudgable depending on your reputation with your colleagues and how much they want to fight for you.
Is there a case where some lazy-**** father got tenure because he had a substandard record but people assumed he was parenting? Maybe, but I highly doubt it. Similarly, is there someone at that same hypothetical institution who was working with the homeless and got denied with a comparable record? Again, I'd be dubious. Why? Because we know these people and, verbally in meetings or not, know them and take them into account.
Do good work, be a good person in whatever you do with your work and professional time will be noticed. Rule #1 in following this advice? Not **** about how colleagues are treated and concentrating on your own work. Have a tiny bit of confidence in yourself.
This was an interesting discussion, despite the trolling, and I enjoyed reading it.
While single professors do indeed have more time that isn't taken up by responsibilities to other people, in most respects their lives are filled with greater challenges than are married/attached professors. The vast majority of single people do not want to be celibate, and a substantial majority (of a certain age) do not want to be single. So, when a single faculty member invests time in social activities in order to find a mate (casual or serious), they are in fact doing what almost everyone else would do in the same circumstances, and so are not really making a choice that they could forego. Sure, if you're happy not having sex or not finding a mate, you can devote all your time to work. But very few people are happy with that. Finding partners takes a lot of time and an even greater amount of emotional energy, and it gets a lot more difficult as you move into your 30s.
So, most single professors will be struggling with loneliness, and a substantial proportion with depression. (Of course these things can be problems for married professors too).
Given that, it doesn't seem clear to me that a single professor with the same productivity as a married one necessarily has a worse trajectory. The single professor might find a partner, and that might make them happier in their life and thus more productive in future.
Only time I've ever felt "disadvantaged" was when I was on my third candidate dinner in two weeks because people with kids can more easily beg out of these obligations. Otherwise, I'm fully aware that I have more time to devote to work than they do.
^ but why, if you don't have children or a spouse, would you be obligated to spend your excess time (outside of work) working? does it matter for departmental judgements on how productive you are? if one is family-free are they then expected to work more than those with family?
This thread is mostly ridiculous. No serious dept has different tenure bars for faculty based on whether they have kids. Suggestions otherwise are merely trolling attempts for a lower bar for faculty w/ kids.
You might say they are at a singular disadvantage
Yes, single people also mostly want to socialize, meet potential mates, and so forth. However, these are still much less time consuming than childcare. You don't have to go on a date or to a party every single night, no matter how tired you are or what deadlines you have coming up.
Inside Higher Ed says moms more likely to have tenure.
You people are acting like it's all so conscious. The senior faculty are saying, "Well. Jeff has kids so we should let him get by with a couple fewer articles etc."
In my experience people are a lot less self-aware than that. The big advantage in having kids, rather than just being married, is that it makes the older faculty look at you as SOMEONE MORE LIKE THEM. Grown up and responsible. The single guy? Well if he doesn't get tenure, he's still young and whatever. (Even if he's the same age as the married w/kids guy.) I don't even think it's that people are so much thinking, "oh what will become of the children if Jeff is denied?" which is ridiculous anyway b/c you know, they won't starve. It's really just that they identify with you more because you seem more like them. This is NOT something that people can say in public and I don't think too many are aware of it.
^this
being single could make it easier to get tenure. you don't have kids to take care of so you have all the time you need to research and publish. try doing research with two or three kids. good luck supporting a four or five person family on one salary (insurance alone is killer for that number). you'll need two salaries, which leads to even less time for research and publishing. you have no idea how much time you used to have on your hands until you actually have kids.
being single could make it easier to get tenure. you don't have kids to take care of so you have all the time you need to research and publish. try doing research with two or three kids. good luck supporting a four or five person family on one salary (insurance alone is killer for that number). you'll need two salaries, which leads to even less time for research and publishing. you have no idea how much time you used to have on your hands until you actually have kids.