Putting the spotlight on fathers: work-family balance at the University of Gdańsk
Poland is a very family-oriented country. At the same time, building an academic career can conflict with the desire to start a family. In a recent campaign, the University of Gdańsk highlights the fact that the university is a workplace that is open to combining academic careers with family life. And the fact that one place to start, is with the fathers!
The MINDtheGEPs team have designed an information campaign to promote work-family balance among scholars at the University of Gdańsk. First-time parents need support. They also need to be informed about their rights. For example, how the EU directive on work-life balance for parents and carers (2019/1158) affects them. The directive was implemented in Poland in 2023.
The team involved the Human Resources office from the beginning, to ensure that all possibilities for parents could be communicated in the organisation. The campaign launched on May 26, which is Mother’s Day in Poland. It was repeated on Father’s Day on June 23, and continued throughout the month. Magdalena Żadkowska, Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology at the University of Gdańsk, led the work to design the campaign. According to her, there is a need for information, but also recognition among fathers when it comes to finding their roles both at work and at home. The aim of this campaign is to try to meet these needs.
“Family-engaged fathers find themselves invisible. The institution does not recognize that they might have different roles. They are seen as the primary breadwinners who are always ready and [at disposal for] overwork, to publish, and to choose work over family.”, says Magdalena Żadkowska.
One of the objectives of the campaign has been to highlight and initiate discussion on work-family balance from the perspective of the father. Another objective for the university has been to express that academic careers last much longer than two or three years. Which is why it is vital that scholars become aware of the fact that an academic career should not be seen as standing in the way of starting a family, or realising other life goals.
“What I see, and what might be one of the results of the MINDtheGEPs project, goes deeply into the different life stories of academics. Each situation should be taken into consideration individually. Consequently, the workplace should show that there is not one straightforward work path within academia – but the life courses can be very diverse.”, says Magdalena Żadkowska.
The campaign underlines that being engaged in your family does not undermine a father’s academic dedication. Instead, the campaign is all about acknowledging the multifaceted roles and contributions of both parenthood and career. To Magdalena Żadkowska, the message is clear: balancing an academic career with family life is not about choosing one over the other. Instead, we should recognise that fulfilling multiple roles enriches both personal and professional lives.
For more information about work-family balance at the University of Gdańsk, take a look at this article with video content from the campaign (in Polish).
Do you want to learn more about the campaign? Watch this interview with Magdalena Żadkowska, Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology at the University of Gdańsk.
By Josepine Fernow & Fanny Klingvall