Returning to Work After Parental Leave: An Appreciative Inquiry. Vice Chancellor's Gender Equality Fund, Final Report 2019

The current neo-liberal competitive demands of research, teaching, increased workload and meeting ranking expectations in careers within the higher education sector can create tension between attaining work goals and family responsibilities. This research aimed to address a gap and calls for more research on the careers of staff in higher education and in particular what it means for female academic and professional staff to have a dual role, as a primary caregiver and employee. The research questions driving this project included investigating what constitutes existing parenting support, what additional support is required by staff, understanding of Western workplace culture, and parents' career expectations at both the personal and workplace level.