Dual-Career Academic Couples: Navigating Success in Higher Education

1. DUAL-CAREER ACADEMIC COUPLES: ONLINE TOOLKIT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS & POSTDOCS MICHELLE R. CLAYMAN INSTITUTE FOR GENDER RESEARCH

2. Clayman’s Look at Academic Couples The Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford examined the academic ecosystem that graduate and postdoc job seekers face by looking at full-time faculty at 13 leading U.S. research institutions. See the full report: Dual-Career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know.

3. Index Background Academic Couples …………………...................4 Hire Types ……..…………………...................5-6 Trends in Dual Hiring ……………......................7 Diversity ……………..........................................8 Your Partner in Dual Hires …………………...……...…9-10 Tips for Applicants Determine partner preference.......…….……….11 Investigate university policies…………………..12 When to bring up a partner ………………….…13 Emphasize partner qualities .....……………....14 Consider a variety of positions………………….15 Wait to sign your contract……….……….……..16 Additional Resources …………………………....………..17

4. Most Academics are in dual-career couples 72% of faculty have employed partners. ½ of these are in academia. In other words, 36% of faculty have an academic partner. Meeting the requirements and expectations of dual-career academic couples—while ensuring the high quality of university faculty—is one of the great challenges facing universities today.

5. Academic Couples, by Hire Type Academic couples can enter faculty jobs in one of three ways: • Dual hires (10%): Both partners are hired as part of a negotiation. The majority are hired “sequentially,” others “joint hires.” See next slide for details. • Independent hires (17%): Those who secured employment separately from their couple status. Often hired without mention of a partner (who also works at the university). • Solo hires (9%): Academic couples where one partner is hired in a tenure track position and the other isn’t currently employed in an academic position.

6. Academic Couples, by Hire Type It’s important to note that 10% of faculty members have come through a dual academic hire.

7. Dual Hiring is Increasing 1970: 3% of faculty were dual-hires. 2000: 13% of faculty were dual-hires.

8. Dual Hiring & Diversity Nearly one-half of faculty respondents in same-sex partnerships have academic partners. Nearly one-third of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority faculty have academic partners.

9. Women in Dual Hires: Gendered Partnering Patterns • Women faculty are more likely than men to be in an academic partnership; • Rates of dual hiring are higher among women respondents than men; • Men are more likely than women to have stay-at-home partners, whereas women are more likely to be single.

10. Women in Dual Hires: Understanding Whose Career is “Primary” Men and women faculty place different value in their partners’ careers. 50% of men in academic couples said their career was primary 59% of women in academic couples said both careers were equal

11. TIP: Determine your preferences/ Plan ahead with your partner • Understand each others’ options and preferences: Ensure that you are both on the same page before beginning negotiations, to maximize the chances you will end up with an outcome that you are both excited about. • Determine your bottom line & discuss your alternatives: At what point would you not be willing to move? Prefer to stay with the status quo? • Explore options in the area: If there isn’t an opening in the academic institution for both of you, ask for connections/introductions to schools/businesses/companies in the surrounding area.

12. TIP: Investigate University Policies • Investigate university cultures and procedures. Some universities are more open to dual-career hiring than others. Information can usually be found: • On the University website: Office of the Provost or Human Resources page • Included in materials sent to prospective job candidate • Make a “deep dive” investigation of the institution’s faculty culture around dual-career hiring: • See if your faculty mentor or dissertation committee faculty knows anyone in the hiring department.   • See if the institution has made any hires of recent graduates from your university (even in other fields). •  Professional contacts and/or alums can provide insight into the institution's culture.

13. TIP: The Best Time to Bring Up a Partner • Use information from your deep-dive investigation to decide when to bring up a partner • Candidates may feel they benefit by raising it as late as possible, but universities need to find out early to consider a partner hire. • So what should you do? • Bring it up ASAP… but not too soon • Bringing it up too soon, or waiting until too late, can hurt you • Bringing it up after the written offer is generally too late

14. TIP: Emphasize Candidate Quality in Hiring Study findings show that faculty and administrators alike agree that dual hiring works best when both partners are well qualified. When bringing up your partner, be sure to highlight their accomplishments and suggest possible matches at the institution.

15. TIP: Negotiate/Consider a Variety of Positions Consider expanding your options beyond tenure or tenure-track faculty positions (while still keeping yourselves viable for those positions): • Shared Faculty Appointment • Adjunct Professor • Lecturer • Researcher • Postdoctoral Fellow • Visiting Scholar • Academic Staff • Librarian Use the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) resources whenever possible to locate positions are nearby institutions

16. TIP: Wait to Sign Your Contract Wait to accept an offer until both partners can simultaneously sign contracts. Both the university and potential faculty benefit when the details are clear and in writing before either partner (first or second hire) accepts a contract. When one partner signs first, the second often faces a sub-par position and benefits.

17. Additional Resources See the our report, Dual-Career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know, for more details. Stories from faculty members in dual-career couples Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) – link your job searches Dual-career resources and partnerships Add new link for dualcareer interview video