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"Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.” (Persian Poet Rumi) Consistent with Rumi’s quote, the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant program is based upon the premise that change toward increased representation and advancement of women in STEM careers begins within: within our own institutions of higher education, and the structures, policies, programs, cultures and individuals that define and inhabit them. And yet, change in academe is slow and difficult, as those engaged in ADVANCE work have experienced over and over again since the program was established in 2001. This difficulty may be explained by the concept of immunity to change (ITC), which was introduced by social psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey (2009). They found that merely recognizing barriers to change is often not enough, even in cases where individuals and groups are truly committed to change. The barriers may be hard to discover and even harder to overcome. They may exist for valid reasons and be indicative of “immunities to change.” These immunities stem from competing commitments and hidden assumptions that serve to protect us against any perceived possibilities of loss or threat involved in change but also then undermine our change goals. Individuals, as well as teams or entire organizations, can find themselves “stuck,” trying their best to change and yet continuing to engage in behaviors that undermine the change goal. 

In this phenomenological study, we explored the experiences of 13 working mothers in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this crisis, mothers in the workforce encountered barriers to their success. Study findings reflect that these challenges have been exacerbated during the pandemic as women experienced increased childcare and other second shift responsibilities. Results highlight participants’ strategies for navigating pandemic-related disruptions. Participants’ experiences further amplify the need for revision of women’s second shift expectations as well as better support for mothers in the workforce. 

Faculty, especially women faculty, continue to leak from the academic pipeline. Considering the costs related to faculty turnover, researchers have recommended continued exploration of faculty experiences with occupational satisfaction and retention. Accordingly, utilizing quantitative methodology and content analysis, the authors examined the reported experiences of 218 professors in the Counselor Education field. Predictive variables related to faculty retention were identified. These variables included lack of support from administration, lack of support from colleagues, having to work harder than colleagues to be taken seriously, gender, and partner job status. Data also revealed significant differences between gender and partner job status, gender and workload variables, and gender and retention variables. These results provide information on the experiences of both men and women faculty, and highlight gender inequities in higher education.