Home Responsibilities Research Articles

Feminist Scholarly Communities Have Been a Lifeline During the Pandemic

I teach writing and literature at a community college, and I am a third-year Ph.D. candidate. Because I balance full-time teaching and graduate research, I am accustomed to the intensity of a heavy workload. Still, during this past year, my home and work responsibilities have multiplied and with that so has my anxiety. Stress and lack of time have made it challenging to write and research. However, two feminist organizations have helped me cope and remain hopeful about my scholarship.

Development of a Japanese version of the Pain Disability Index: translation and linguistic validation

The Pain Disability Index (PDI) is a self–reported outcome measure initially developed in English to assess disability caused by pain in seven dimensions of daily life activity, including family ⁄ home responsibilities, recreation, social activity, occupation, sexual behavior, self–care, and life–support activity. This study aimed to develop a linguistical­ly valid Japanese version of the PDI (PDI–J) according to the guidelines for the translation and cultural adaptation of patient–reported outcome measures establish­ed by the task force of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. A draft of the PDI–J was developed through a forward translation of the original PDI from English to Japanese, reconciliation of the translation, back–translation from Japanese to English, and harmonization. We subsequently conducted a cognitive debriefing in five patients using the PDI–J draft and reviewed it before finaliz­ing a linguistically valid PDI–J. We also considered a five–item version of the PDI (PDI–5–J), which excluded two items (sexual behavior and life–support activity) from the original version. This consideration was made for brevity and because sexual behavior is a considerably personal parameter that some patients may be reluctant to answer and life–support activity because it was considered ambiguous in Japanese. Therefore, we were able to develop a linguistically valid PDI–J and PDI–5–J through this process. Further study is warranted to confirm the psychometric validity and reliabili­ty of the two indices (PDI–J and PDI–5–J).

The impact of poor work-life balance and unshared home responsibilities on work-gender identity integration

ABSTRACT The degree to which gender and organizational social identities are perceived as compatible has been proven a key factor in promoting creative performance, job satisfaction and organizational commitment of female workers. But what are the factors that help them develop a high level of Gender-Work Identity Integration (GWII)? Previous studies have focused on organizational aspects (i.e., gender stereotype threat, perceived respect in the organizational context). We focus on the relational and family sphere and tested a model where the perception of poor Work-Life Balance (WLB) is used as a predictor of GWII. Then, this relationship was moderated by gender and the degree of shared responsibilities in the household (e.g., house chores, care for children and/or elderly, menial household duties, etc.). The model was tested in two separate studies. Study 1 (cross-sectional, N = 916 employees living with a partner, 31% women) revealed that for women whose home responsibilities are not shared, achieving GWII proves more challenging. On the other hand, when home responsibilities are shared with a partner, the effect of poor WLB on GWII is not significant. Cross-lagged analyses in longitudinal Study 2 (N = 82 female workers living with a partner) confirmed the findings in Study 1 and the direction of the hypothesized associations. These findings provide a better understanding of factors that contribute to gender equality in work and home life.

Sleep Health in Male-dominated Workplaces: A Qualitative Study Examining the Perspectives of Male Employees

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore working men’s perspectives about sleep health and the intersecting influences of gender and work, describing participant’s views on current and potential programming and organizational support to promote sleep health. Methods Twenty men employed in male-dominated industries in the north-central region of Alberta, Canada, participated in 4 consultation group discussions addressing motivators, facilitators and barriers to sleep health. Results Participants reported sleeping an average of 6.36 (SD ±1.1) hours per night, and the majority worked more than 40 hours per week. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach. The findings provided important insights. In normalizing sleep deprivation and prioritizing the need to “just keep going” on six or less hours of sleep, the men subscribed to masculine ideals related to workplace perseverance, stamina and resilience. Workplace cultures and practices were implicated including normative dimensions of overtime and high productivity and output, amid masculine cultures constraining emotions and conversations about sleep, the sum of which muted avenues for discussing, let alone promoting sleep. Challenges to good sleep were primarily constructed around time constraints, and worry about meeting work and home responsibilities. Men’s preferences for workplace support included providing and incentivizing the use of sleep health resources, designing work for sleep health (e.g., shift schedules, overtime policies) and getting advice from experienced coworkers and experts external to the workplace organization. Conclusion These findings hold potential for informing future gender-sensitive programming and organizational practices to support sleep health among working men.

Work environment characteristics as determinants of work to family conflict among working females, Egypt.

Positive work environment is the corner stone for control and relief of work to family conflict (WFC). To determine the prevalence work-family spillovers and to study the relations between them and work environment characteristics among full-time female employees at Tanta University Medical Campus. A cross-sectional study was carried among female employees working in the five faculties that are present at Tanta University Medical Campus. A total of 442 female workers were recruited. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire including personal characteristics, work-related data, and home responsibilities. Job characteristics scales, work to family, and family to work spillovers scales were used to study their correlation. Participants' mean age was 39.87 ± 10.07 years. Approximately half of participants had moderate degrees of both positive and negative work to family and family to work spillovers. Significant positive correlation was detected between skills discretion and both of positive work to family and family to work spillovers (r = 0.361, r = 0.288, P = 0. 0.001, respectively); similar relations were reported regarding decision authority, coworkers' support, and supervisors' support. The negative work to family and family to work spillovers significantly increased by increasing in work demands (r = 0. 0.315, r = 0.218, P = 0. 0.001, respectively). Significant and negative correlations were found between each of skills discretion and supervisors' support scales and the negative impact of family to work spillover (r = - 0.130; P = 0.006, r = - 0.167; P = 0.001, respectively). The prevalence of both positive and negative work to family and family to work spillovers was relatively high. Significant relations were detected between work-family spillovers and work environment characteristics regarding skills discretion, work demands, decision authority, coworkers, and supervisors' support.

Supervisor Support as a Moderator between Flexible Working Arrangement and Job Performance – Malaysia Evidence

Over the past years, organizations are forced to redesign their workplace to fulfil global labour market needs and to remain competitive. Due to the ever-changing working environment and competitive markets, organizations opted to choose more flexible work options so they can respond to the volatile environment. This study explores the moderation effect of supervisor support (SS) between flexible working arrangements (FWAs) and employee performance (EP). The population for this study primarily focused on the organizations that adopt the flexible working arrangement such as flexible working time, working from home, and compressed work-week practices in Malaysia. The companies selected are based on the listing of global organizations practices FWAs mentioned in TalentCorp Malaysia Flexible Working Arrangement collaboration with Malaysian Federation Employer report, 2015. The questionnaires were distributed through the Human Resource Department of each organization. The result demonstrated that there is a relationship between FWAs and EP but there was no moderation effect of SS between FWAs and EP relationship. This study supports the idea that the employees seem to benefit from the adoption of FWAs at the workplace. It allows both gender and single or married employees to manage their time better particularly allowing the employees to attend to personal needs. Since FWAs itself is the support given by employers to employees, therefore, the employees were unable to associate supervisor support role as a contributor to help them manage their work and home responsibilities. This study showed that employee motivation to perform are affected by the policies adopted by organizations. Adopting efficient work practices such as FWAs could stimulate employee engagement to improve their work performance. Therefore, organizations that are currently searching for a strategy that can improve productivity and employee performance should consider FWAs as an option. However, the implementation ofFWAs needs to be customized according to the employee's needs. Offering FWAs in the organization will enhance organizational and individual outcomes.

Concern about chemotherapy in oncological patients first referred to this treatment predicts negative emotions

IntroductionTreatment representation is an important factor of motivation and well-being during treatment (Horne, 2002).ObjectivesThe aim was to reveal the relationship between treatment representation and well-being in oncological patients first referred to chemotherapy.Methods40 oncological patients (10 males, 20-72 years old, mean age 50.49±13.75 years old, localizations included gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system) first referred to chemotherapy filled Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985), Scale for Positive and Negative Experiences (Diener et al., 2009), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond, Snaith, 1983) and Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire (Horne, 2002) that was slightly modified for the situation of chemotherapy. Disturbance of functioning was assessed in the interview as an opportunity to cope with job, home responsibilities or self-care (1-5-point Likert scale).ResultsCronbach’s alphas for Necessity and Concern scales were .69 and .76. Despite high appraisals of necessity of chemotherapy (mean 4.24±.53 on 1-5 Likert scale), concern about it was rather high (2.83±.82). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, after adjusting for disturbances in social functioning, concern about chemotherapy (but not its subjective necessity) predicted more severe negative emotions (β=.32, p<.05, ΔR2=10.0%). After control for general level of anxiety and depression, this relationship became weaker but marginally significant (β=.32, p<.10, ΔR2=8.4%).ConclusionsConcern about chemotherapy in patients first referred to this treatment could be important predictor of well-being demanding for interventions aimed at stabilization of emotional reaction to chemotherapy regardless belief in its necessity.

Career Development Considerations for Academic Physician Mentees and Mentors in the Time of COVID-19: Jump in or Just Dip a Toe?

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted medical research, pushing mentors and mentees to decide if COVID-19 research would be germane to the early career investigator's developing research portfolio. With COVID-19 halting hundreds of federal trials involving non-COVID-19 research, mentors and mentees must also consider the broader moral calling of contributing to COVID-19 research. At the time of writing, the National Institutes of Health had responded to the pandemic with significant funding for COVID-19 research. However, because this pandemic is a new phenomenon, few mentors have expertise in the disease and relevant established resources. As a result, many mentors are unable to provide insight on COVID-19 research to early career investigators considering a pivot toward research related to this disease. The authors suggest 4 ways for mentees and mentors to respond to the changes the pandemic has brought to research funding and opportunities: (1) include COVID-19 research in existing portfolios to diversify intellectual opportunities and reduce funding risks; (2) negotiate the mentor-mentee relationship and roles and expectations early in project discussions-considering, as relevant, the disproportionate burden of home responsibilities often borne by early career faculty members who are women and/or from a minority group; (3) address any mentor limitations in content expertise; and (4) if the decision is to pivot to COVID-19 research, select projects with implications generalizable beyond this pandemic to other infectious outbreaks or to the redesign of health care delivery. Mentors and mentees must weigh the relevance of COVID-19 research projects to the postpandemic world and the amount of available funding against the developing interests of early career investigators. Academic medical centers nationwide must enable seasoned and early career researchers to contribute meaningfully to COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 research.

The COMET study: Examining the effects of COVID-19-related perceived stress on Los Angeles Mothers’ dysregulated eating behaviors, child feeding practices, and body mass index

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions and mandates have had pronounced implications on the well-being of individuals. This study conducted exploratory analyses of the relationship between COVID-19-related life changes and COVID-19-related perceived stress and associations between COVID-19-related perceived stress and dysregulated maternal eating behaviors, child feeding practices, and body mass index (BMI) in Los Angeles mothers. Mothers (Mage = 37.6 ± 6.9) of children aged 5–11 (N = 197, response rate 92.5%) completed an online questionnaire assessing COVID-19-related life changes, COVID-19-related perceived stress, mechanisms used to cope with COVID-19, child feeding practices, their own eating behavior, demographics, and height and weight. The highest proportion of participants reported changes to work, disruptions due to childcare challenges, and increased home responsibilities. Higher COVID-19-related perceived stress was experienced by those who reported loss of work hours (29%), loss of job (15.2%), reduced ability to afford childcare (18.8%), and reduced ability to afford rent/mortgage (19.8%) (ps < 0.05) than those who did not. The most common strategy that mothers indicated using to cope with COVID-19 related stress was eating comfort foods (e.g., candy and chips) (58.7%). COVID-19-related perceived stress was positively associated with mother's BMI and emotional eating (ps < 0.05). Rewarding their child's eating and behavior with food were both positively associated with the number of COVID-19 related life changes (ps < 0.05). This study yields new knowledge of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mothers' dysregulated eating behaviors and child feeding practices. The results highlight the importance of conducting further research to confirm these findings and understand the nature of associations between COVID-19-related perceived stress and health. This is crucial in order to explore ways in which lasting impacts of the pandemic on mental and physical health can be prevented.

The Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Pediatric Anesthesiologists: A Survey of the Members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the personal and professional lives of all health care workers. Anesthesiologists frequently perform virus-aerosolizing procedures (eg, intubation and extubation) that place them at increased risk of infection. We sought to determine how the initial COVID-19 outbreak affected members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) on both personal and professional levels. Specifically, we examined the potential effects of gender and age on personal stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, assessed job satisfaction, and explored financial impact. After receiving approval from the SPA Committees for Research and Quality and Safety and the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board, we e-mailed a questionnaire to all 3245 SPA members. The survey included 22 questions related to well-being and 13 questions related to effects of COVID-19 on current and future practice, finances, retirement planning, academic time and productivity, and clinical and home responsibilities. To address low initial response rates and quantify nonresponse bias, we sent a shortened follow-up survey to a randomly selected subsample (n = 100) of SPA members who did not respond to the initial survey. Response differences between the 2 cohorts were determined. A total of 561 (17%) members responded to the initial questionnaire. Because of COVID-19, 21.7% of respondents said they would change their clinical responsibilities, and 10.6% would decrease their professional working time. Women were more likely than men to anticipate a future COVID-19-related job change (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.63; P = .011), perhaps because of increased home responsibilities (OR = 2.63, 95% CI, 1.74-4.00; P < .001). Additionally, 14.2% of respondents planned to retire early, and 11.9% planned to retire later. Women and non-White respondents had higher likelihoods of burnout on univariate analysis (OR = 1.75, 95% CI, 1.06-2.94, P = .026 and OR = 1.82, 95% CI, 1.08-3.04, P = .017, respectively), and 25.1% of all respondents felt socially isolated. In addition, both changes in retirement planning and future occupational planning were strongly associated with total job satisfaction scores (both P < .001). The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the personal and professional lives of pediatric anesthesiologists, albeit not equally, as women and non-Whites have been disproportionately impacted. The pandemic has significantly affected personal finances, home responsibilities, and retirement planning; reduced clinical and academic practice time and responsibilities; and increased feelings of social isolation, stress, burnout, and depression/anxiety.

The impact of breast cancer-related lymphedema on rural and small-town Survivors’ return-to-work and quality of life: A multiple-case study

BackgroundBreast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a lifelong condition. Millions who develop breast cancer are younger than retirement age and at a lifetime risk for developing BCRL. Rural and small-town survivors may face unique challenges in terms of access to health care and BCRL/survivorship resources. This multiple-case study describes how BCRL influences the work experiences and quality of life (QoL) of survivors living in rural and small towns in Missouri. Methods and MaterialsThirteen survivors from rural and small towns in Missouri completed semi-structured interviews and a standardized QoL instrument. Cases were analyzed using in-vivo and open-coding techniques and constant cross-case comparative methods. Twelve of the 13 participants’ data are synthesized into themes to represent an illustrative case. The 13th case is presented as a contradictory (rival) case. ResultsFour themes are represented within the illustrative case – multiple medical encounters; the development of self-care routines; the reciprocity of work/live activities, triggers, and adjustments; and rural/small-town cultural impact. Upon BCRL diagnosis, survivors received intensive treatments, eventually establishing self-care routines. Survivors identified strategies for working around their BCRL when completing work and home responsibilities. The contradictory (rival) case was more recently diagnosed and, as such, had not established self-care and coping mechanisms in the same way. Conclusions and implicationsSurvivors alleviate BCRL symptoms and improve their QoL by establishing self-care strategies. This provides guidance for client-centered survivorship care-planning and occupational rehabilitation of rural survivors with BCRL. This study provides the foundation for developing information for rural survivors that supports mental preparation and coping skills for BCRL self-management.

Psychosocial Predictors of Medically Unexplained Infertility in Urban Working Women

Background: Infertility is one of the major causes of mental health issues among couples. Interestingly, a large percentage of this infertility cannot be always explained in terms of a medical diagnosis. Psychological distress has long been suspected as having an important impact on infertility. However, the exact nature of association between psychological factors and infertility has been a subject matter of scientific debate. For modern urban women, there is an additional obligation of balancing work and home responsibilities; this dual role inevitably leads to stress. In this context, an important yet less-explored area of infertility is the role of work-related stress on female infertility. Aims: This study tries to investigate the mediating role of certain psychosocial constructs viz (a) Self-efficacy related to work-family conflict—measured in terms of “work-family conflict self-efficacy scale” by Cinamon (2003), (b) perceived occupational stress—measured in terms of “work-to-family conflict scale” by Netemeyer et al (1996), (c) decision-making in family—measured in terms of “decision-making scale” by Blood and Wolfe, (d) perceived infertility stress—measured in terms of “fertility problem inventory” by Newton et al (1999) in 25 urban working women of the age range 28 to 40 years who have been experiencing medically unexplained infertility for at least 1 year; the severity of infertility being measured in terms of duration of involuntary childlessness. Results: The analysis reveals that severity of medically unexplained infertility can be explained in terms of “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict” and “perceived infertility stress”; 28.6% of variation in severity of unexplained infertility being contributed by “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict” and 46.9% of the variation in the severity of unexplained infertility being contributed by a conjunction of “perceived infertility stress” and “self-efficacy related to work-family conflict.” Conclusion: The findings imply that urban educated women tend to place more psychological emphasis on “motherhood,” and “perceived deficit in attaining motherhood” seems to be the important source of personal stress for these women in comparison to stressors emanating from occupational hazards and family dynamics related to decision-making.

Difficulties in Remote Learning: Voices of Philippine University Students in the Wake of COVID-19 Crisis

Most educational systems across the world have migrated to remote learning modality as a measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This phenomenon is causing a lot of difficulties especially as voiced out by students in the context of developing countries. This paper attempts to describe the difficulties in remote learning of university students in the Philippines in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Following a mainly qualitative research design, this study surveyed a pool of purposively and conveniently selected students currently enrolled in a tertiary institution. The result of the content analysis revealed the following categories of difficulties in remote learning: unstable internet connectivity; inadequate learning resources; electric power interruptions; vague learning contents; overloaded lesson activities; limited teacher scaffolds; poor peer communication; conflict with home responsibilities; poor learning environment; financial related problems; physical health compromises; and mental health struggles. Based on the result, cogent recommendations are discussed at the end of the study.

Interactions between home, work, and sleep among firefighters.

Firefighters endure large occupational burdens and generally operate under conditions of chronic sleep deficiency and circadian disruption due to long shifts, plus interrupted sleep due to emergency calls during the night. A typical shift for firefighters is 24-h on/48-h off, and firefighters are expected to use time-off to recover from any sleep debt, while balancing social, family, and home responsibilities. This qualitative study sets out to assess family dynamics and how firefighters prioritize sleep and recovery at home based on relationship or family status, as well as a fire department's current shift schedule. Focus groups were conducted via convenience sampling in Portland, OR, with full-time firefighters, battalion chiefs, and their spouses. Grounded theory, using NVivo 12 Plus, was used to code transcripts to reveal reoccurring concepts and themes. Major themes centered around the increase of nonemergent calls contributing to compassion fatigue. Spouses can help improve the sleep of firefighters by creating opportunities for recuperative sleep at home. However, spouses also conveyed underlying tones of "resentment" relating to their firefighter being unavailable for emotional and instrumental support. While married firefighters discussed choosing family and home obligations over reducing sleep debt to maintain relationships, single and divorced firefighters spoke of fewer conflicts impeding their ability to prioritize sleep at home. These results improve our understanding of how firefighters prioritize sleep at home based on family dynamics and can inform future decision-making for fire departments in addressing concerns related to work-family conflict, sleep loss, and compassion fatigue among their members.

The Effectiveness of Structured Self-Care Model on Improvement of Self-Care Agency, Disability and pain Level among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract Background: Rheumatoid arthritis causes progressive deterioration, with subsequent functional decline leading to disability Aim: To investigate the effect of structured self-care model on of self-care, disability and pain among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Design: quasi experimental study design was used. A convenience sample of 60 adult patients, drawn from all the patients in outpatient clinic at Mansoura University Hospital from January 2019 to October 2019. Tool: An interview questionnaire include: Socio-demographic and medical data, Exercise for Self Care Agency ,World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule and Pain Disability Index (PDI). Results: Shows the patient get higher scores regarding level of exercise for Self Care Agency in follow up after 2 month (mean 119.9) and after 4month (mean 165.7) than pre-test (mean 104.9), as higher scores indicate higher level of self-care ,with highly statistically significant difference (p.v 0.01). There was a highly statistically significant difference (p.v 0.001**) regarding the mean score of the total disability assessment pre, after two and after four months among participant as the mean after four months (98.8±6.71) was increased compared with the mean pretest (160.48±3.7). Results shows the main items of pain disability index, pre, post two months and four months there a statistical significant regarding family and home responsibilities, recreation, social activity, life-support activity, occupation and total score. No statistical significant regarding sexual behavior .Conclusion & Recommendations. A structured self-care model help in improvement of self-care, disability and pain level among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Self-management programs result in beneficial effect on disability and pain scores.

Effectiveness of Structured Self-Care Model on Self-Care, Disability and Pain among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract Background: Rheumatoid arthritis causes progressive deterioration, with subsequent functional decline leading to disability Aim: To investigate the effect of structured self-care model on of self-care, disability and pain among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Design: quasi experimental study design was used. A convenience sample of 60 adult patients, drawn from all the patients in outpatient clinic at Mansoura University Hospital from January 2019 to October 2019. Tool: An interview questionnaire include: Socio-demographic and medical data, Exercise for Self Care Agency ,World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule and Pain Disability Index (PDI). Results: Shows the patient get higher scores regarding level of exercise for Self Care Agency in follow up after 2 month (mean 119.9) and after 4month (mean 165.7) than pre-test (mean 104.9), as higher scores indicate higher level of self-care ,with highly statistically significant difference (p.v 0.01). There was a highly statistically significant difference (p.v 0.001**) regarding the mean score of the total disability assessment pre, after two and after four months among participant as the mean after four months (98.8±6.71) was increased compared with the mean pretest (160.48±3.7). Results shows the main items of pain disability index, pre, post two months and four months there a statistical significant regarding family and home responsibilities, recreation, social activity, life-support activity, occupation and total score. No statistical significant regarding sexual behavior .Conclusion & Recommendations. A structured self-care model help in improvement of self-care, disability and pain level among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Self-management programs result in beneficial effect on disability and pain scores.

Facilitating Wellbeing in a Turbulent Time

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the way we live, work, and study. As faculty members, staff members, and students attempt to create and maintain a new normal because of this pandemic, the preservation of wellbeing becomes the responsibility of each and every one of us. The pandemic has taught us not to presume the importance of wellbeing and has allowed us time to reflect on establishing new assumptions and beliefs about how and when we work and study; how to be more efficient in our work and home responsibilities; and above all, what is most important. We must support ourselves and our students by maintaining a routine, modifying work and coursework expectations, and seeking psychosocial support if needed. Focusing on promoting wellbeing through leadership will move our institutions forward to a brighter future beyond COVID-19.

Minding the Care Gap: Daycare Usage and the Negotiation of Work, Family and Gender Among Swedish Parents

The article asks whether daycare can alleviate work–family tensions in the dual-earner society or if perceptions of 'care gaps' will hamper women's careers. Using survey data from Swedish parents with pre-school children (n ≈ 2250) and qualitative interviews of survey respondents (n = 40), we explore how children’s daycare hours and parents’ reflections on daycare hours are related to mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in paid and unpaid work and to their perceptions of stress. The results show that parents have a strong ambition to limit daycare hours. This ambition provides a stressful dilemma for mothers but for fathers, daycare is not a source of stress. Maternal part-time work is an important tool for managing daycare hours, but collides with ideals of gender equality. Full-time work can be combined with short daycare hours, provided that the parents take shifts in the home and share care responsibilities. Sharing of care work also reduces mothers' stress. However, such arrangements require flexible schedules which are more available to parents in high-skill jobs. Single parents have little opportunity to keep daycare hours short.

Sex Differences in Faculty Rank and Leadership Positions Amongst Hematologists and Oncologists in United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: We have previously reported underrepresentation of female faculty at senior academic ranks in hematology/oncology (H/O). In this analysis we aimed to investigate the influence of sex in attaining leadership positions amongst academic hematologists/oncologists in United States. Methods: Faculty members were identified at 146 H/O fellowship programs listed on fellowship and residency electronic interactive database (FREIDA.) Data was collected on demographics, academic rank and research output using Doximity and Scopus databases. We compared the unadjusted characteristics of men and women by using two-sided t-tests and χ2 tests where appropriate. In primary analysis, logistic regression models were used to evaluate sex differences on probability of having full professorship (versus assistant and associate professorship) and of achieving leadership positions including division chief, Program Director (PD) and Associate Program Director (APD). Adjusted models included the following variables: clinical experience in years, number of publications, h-index, appointment at top 20 hospital, clinical trial investigator status and National Institutes of Health funding. Stratified analysis was performed adjusting for duration of clinical experience (≤15 vs &gt;15 years) Results: Fewer women were full Professors (21.9% vs 78.1%), division chiefs (16.7% vs 83.3%), and PDs (30.5% vs 69.5) but the number was similar for Associate Program Directors (47.1% vs 52.9%). In a univariate unadjusted model, women were less likely to be full professors compared to men (OR 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31-0.48; P&lt;.001). However, in the multivariable adjusted model no statistically significant sex difference in full professorship was found (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.71, 1.57; P=.85; Table). The likelihood of full professorship was positively associated with clinical experience in years, number of first/last author publications, h-index, and being a primary investigator on at least one clinical trial.In a univariate unadjusted model, women were less likely to be division chiefs as compared to males (OR 0.35; 95% CI, 0.16, 0.80; P=.01). However, in the multivariable adjusted model, there was no statistically significant sex difference in achieving the position of division chief (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.20, 1.58; P=.28; Table). No significant difference was found between females and males for being program directors or associate program directors in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Similarly, a stratified analysis adjusting for duration of clinical experience (≤15 vs &gt;15 years) found no significant sex differences in attaining leadership position (Table) Conclusion: We found that women are underrepresented at higher academic ranks and in leadership positions in hematology/oncology, but that sex is not a significant negative predictor to women obtaining leadership positions after correcting for traditional predictors of academic success. However, "non-traditional" and therefore less measurable and analyzable factors such as networking, mentorship, sponsorship, gender bias, balancing work and home responsibilities and many others may contribute and should be further investigated. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Mothering Work and Perinatal Transfer: An Institutional Ethnographic Investigation.

While maternal or infant transfer is generally the safest course of action when health complications arise, the process of shifting from one hospital to another is stressful for mothers and their infants. There is limited understanding of how institutional processes coordinate patient transfer in ways that increase tensions for women and their families who are trying to navigate the institutional systems during health crises. This institutional ethnographic study explored womens' experience of transfer. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of six childbearing women. The analysis highlights tensions and contradictions between patient care and institutional demands and shows how ordinary institutional decision-making practices impacted participants in unexpected ways. Women experienced uncertainty and stress when trying to convince health-care providers they needed care. Before, during, and after transfer, participants navigated home responsibilities, childcare, and getting care closer to home in difficult circumstances. The effort and skill women need to care for their infants and families as they are transferred is extraordinary. This study offers insight into the resources and support childbearing women need to accomplish the work of caring for their families in the face of perinatal crisis and multiple transfers.