Combining caregiving and career: Experiences of social work faculty

This article explores the findings from a survey of 75 social work faculty with doctoral degrees about the family and caregiving factors that affected their career decisions and experiences. Qualitative analyses indicated that both the women and the men had family- and caregiving-related concerns that pertained primarily to the regular care of children but also to the care of individuals with disabilities and of frail elders. Forty-seven percent of the participants described helpful family-related university policies, and 28% described institutional barriers to achieving their career goals. Suggestions for creating family-friendly institutions are presented.