“In or out” or “In-and-out”: the social identity transition of female academics during the perinatal period
“In or out” or “In-and-out”: the social identity transition of female academics during the perinatal period
The career trajectories of working mothers in academia could be adversely impacted by maternity breaks given the professional demand for consistent research performance. This study employs the postmodernist perspective of identity which addresses social context to unpack in-depth accounts of female academics’ social identity transition throughout their perinatal period (pregnancy till 1-year post-birth). We collected 93 critical incidents via interviews from 23 academics who completed their perinatal period between 2019 and 2022.
We found the identity transition was more dynamic than linear. This enabled us to develop a multi-dimensional identity grid matrix to illustrate the varied transitional statuses these mothers encountered as a consequence of the ongoing (re)negotiation between self and social structures (in-and-out of salient social identities). Hence, the social identities of academic mothers can be betwixt among multiple identities. The findings can help HR practitioners in forming a more supportive and consensual working culture, thereby and facilitating working mothers’ ability to develop positive resources for a better social-self.
female academic, integrated identity, maternity care support, organisational culture, perinatal period, social identity theory
699-712
Lai, Yi-Ling
68180d86-8865-4c85-8045-e0086d4cd476
Thorpe, Andy
5912ae37-1c38-42b6-985d-c85cdb9f57bd
19 January 2025
Lai, Yi-Ling
68180d86-8865-4c85-8045-e0086d4cd476
Thorpe, Andy
5912ae37-1c38-42b6-985d-c85cdb9f57bd
Lai, Yi-Ling and Thorpe, Andy
(2025)
“In or out” or “In-and-out”: the social identity transition of female academics during the perinatal period.
Human Resource Management Journal, 35 (3), , [35(3)].
(doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12590).
Abstract
The career trajectories of working mothers in academia could be adversely impacted by maternity breaks given the professional demand for consistent research performance. This study employs the postmodernist perspective of identity which addresses social context to unpack in-depth accounts of female academics’ social identity transition throughout their perinatal period (pregnancy till 1-year post-birth). We collected 93 critical incidents via interviews from 23 academics who completed their perinatal period between 2019 and 2022.
We found the identity transition was more dynamic than linear. This enabled us to develop a multi-dimensional identity grid matrix to illustrate the varied transitional statuses these mothers encountered as a consequence of the ongoing (re)negotiation between self and social structures (in-and-out of salient social identities). Hence, the social identities of academic mothers can be betwixt among multiple identities. The findings can help HR practitioners in forming a more supportive and consensual working culture, thereby and facilitating working mothers’ ability to develop positive resources for a better social-self.
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Clean_R3_Final_HRMJ_Social_identity_transition_of_academic_mothers
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Clean_R3_Final_HRMJ_Social identity transition of academic mothers
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Accepted/In Press date: 12 January 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 January 2025
Published date: 19 January 2025
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© 2025 The Author(s). Human Resource Management Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords:
female academic, integrated identity, maternity care support, organisational culture, perinatal period, social identity theory
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Local EPrints ID: 498377
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/498377
ISSN: 0954-5395
PURE UUID: a7f391ce-51df-4695-92ac-971118fc7d0a
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Date deposited: 17 Feb 2025 17:49
Last modified: 11 Sep 2025 03:33
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Author:
Yi-Ling Lai
Author:
Andy Thorpe
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