Finding balance between work-family-life integration and physical and mental well-being: African American and Latino women in the professoriate

Background: African American (2.5%) and Latino (1.3%) women are highly underrepresented among the professoriate in U.S. universities. These groups experience academic work environments differently from their non-identified minority and White colleagues. Evidence suggests that the stressful culture of the academy may have deleterious physical and mental health outcomes among these women. Methods: In a mixed-methods study of 30 women (14 African American [AA] and 16 predominantly Mexican American [MA] women), we obtained demographics, academic stress indicators (e.g. perceived discrimination), self-reported health status and coping strategies used to balance to work-family-personal life using survey, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Results: Respondents had a mean age of 41 years. AA women were more likely to have parents who completed college +, were married and more likely to have children than MA women. AA faculty had higher physical symptom and depressive symptom scores. MA women were more likely to report perceived race, class, gender discrimination than AA women, and appraise it as more upsetting. Social support networks, religion and exercise were important coping strategies most used by both groups. Conclusions: The data demonstrate the presence of serious mental and physical health concerns for many of the African American and Latina women faculty in the sample. Family/social/personal life balance data show that academic demands coupled with limited social resources exert powerful stressors that affect their physical and emotional health with or without children. Family leave policies have not solved the issues of racial, ethnic and class discrimination.