BALANCING ACT: Healthy work-life Habits redefined

HOW many times, during a virtual meeting for work, have you had to mute your microphone or switch off your camera to ask your children to keep it down, tend to a sick parent or try to stop your dog from tearing a pillow to shreds? Perhaps you’ve seen other colleagues grappling with maintaining a healthy work-life balance in the academic space. I certainly have — so when I came across an article exploring this issue in the international journal Nature, I was not surprised. Research found that during the pandemic, women in academia in the US reported an increased workload but a decrease in productivity. Their personal well-being suffered and many, despite having partners, took on the bulk of childcare and family responsibilities. In this edition, we asked women from the University of the Western Cape to discuss their work and the challenges they face during this pandemic. They also give insight into how they are trying to maintain the elusive work-life balance in the often challenging academic space. By sharing their stories, we hope to, at the very least, offer some comfort and constructive advice on how to navigate this difficult road. We hope to learn lessons from the women featured in this digimag, to formulate an institutional response.

PROFESSOR VIVIENNE LAWACK Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic