The Decision to Have Children: Women Faculty in Social Work

In: Affilia: journal of women and social work, Band 4, Heft 2, S. 73-84

Abstract

This article reports on a study of 51 women faculty members of schools of social work in California that explored the influence of the conditions and demands of their jobs on their decisions to have children. It was found that a higher proportion of the younger faculty women chose to remain childless than did the older faculty women or women in the general population. The key factors in their decisions were the requirements for obtaining tenure and promotion. The younger faculty women with children also considered these factors to be important in determining the size of their families and for the advancement of their careers.