"Something's Gotta Give": Career and Family Expectations Among Three Generations of Swarthmore Alumnae

Abstract

Contemplating her approaching future, the author of this thesis became concerned about her long-term prospects for life. Having dreamed of becoming a college professor since high school, she began to have doubts about the profession after observing her female professors. The close relationships she formed with several women who had children and full-time teaching positions at Swarthmore College allowed her to witness the struggle of balancing a career and family. What did gender and career choice have to do with the experiences of her professors? She investigated the matter in the form of a research grant, the preliminary data of which formed the foundation for this thesis. Along with interviews, methodology includes research of literature on the feminist movement and on women and work. The author searched for patterns and issues in the women’s lives that seemed particularly striking, most specifically, similarities and differences between the reactions the reactions of the three cohorts of respondents. The author draws on feminist approaches, sociological analyses, and recent studies of work, as well as problematizing the feminist concepts of consciousness and agency in an attempt to revise the accept theory of relationships