Ways I Know My Department is Family-Friendly

Since I am starting at a new institution, I have obsessed about the family-friendly culture. Does the institution value balance? Are there many faculty who have children? How will my colleagues who ultimately vote on my tenure perceive of my status as a parent? Here is my evidence that the my department is family-friendly:

• The department chair's response when I announced via email that I could not meet him at the annual association conference because I had just given birth was full of congratulatory remarks and he said, "Tell me everything. I love babies!"
  
• I brought my daughter into the office last week because the tech guy was available to set-up my computer and I did not have childcare. All my colleagues were thrilled to meet her and some of them came from other parts of the building to hold her.
• My female colleague without children immediately understood why I did not announce my pregnancy when I interviewed for the job (I was five months pregnant and small enough to hide the belly). She said, "You want to be know for your work and not just your pregnancy." She seems to understand the issues around academic parenthood.

I do have some concerns about the university culture when it comes to family-friendliness. The FMLA policy only guarantees the federal mandated minimum of 12 week unpaid vacation and the Working Mom's Group, a campus-wide group that organizes luncheons, only consists of staff who have children. Where are all the faculty with children? Overall, I am feeling very positive about my choice to accept the position at my new university and I hope that I will find the university to be as supportive as my new local department.