Shifting identities: Balancing teaching and parenthood. Ten years on

Perspective Article

Published on: February 22, 2018

4 min read

My doctorate, completed in 2017 at Middlesex University, was all about balancing teaching and parenthood. I examined what it is to be a teacher and parent from both ends of the telescope. From one end, I explored ‘role enrichment’, whereby: …teachers regularly identify and celebrate the compatibility and mutual benefits of combining the two roles and celebrate the factors that allow them to feel successful in both roles and regularly communicate the ‘joy, excitement, exhilaration and deep satisfaction’ ((Nias, 1996), p. 297) associated with successfully balancing the roles ((Kell, 2016), p. 111). I also examined the challenges, using the term ‘role conflict’, to describe: the barriers and the challenges faced by teacher-parents when attempting to balance their professional duties with their family lives; the relationships, policies and demands which prevent them from feeling that they are successful in either one of – or both – roles ((Kell, 2016), p. 27).

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This article was published in February 2018 and reflects the terminology and understanding of research and evidence in use at the time. Some terms and conclusions may no longer align with current standards. We encourage readers to approach the content with an understanding of this context.