Robert Drago, Carol Colbeck, Dawn Stauffer, Amy Varner, Kurt Burkum, Jennifer Fazioli, Gabriela Guzman and Tara Habasevich (2004).

The Avoidance of Bias Against Caregiving: The Case of Academic Faculty (Working Paper 04-06).

University Park, PA: Population Research Institute at Penn State University.

Robert Drago, Ph.D., an economist at Penn State University, and Carol Colbeck, a professor in higher education, have recently gathered information from faculty members at universities across the US to explore an emerging work-family issue: potential bias at the workplace against caregivers.  Drago and Colbeck examined two types of factors that could contribute to caregiver bias: structural factors [such as policies relevant to tenure and promotion] and cultural factors [including assumptions and expectations that shape attitudes and behaviors, such as norms about women being caregivers].

Drago and Colbeck's study asked faculty about the steps they might take to avoid "caregiver bias." He found that, on an individual basis, women who take steps to avoid potential caregiver bias were more likely to move their careers forward more quickly, as indicated by their promotion to tenure.

However, the study found that the consequences of "bias avoidance" behaviors were not positive for the workplaces when the outcomes are aggregated within organizations.

In the long run, workplaces may find that norms which encourage employees to make their caregiving responsibilities "invisible" could result in unintended consequences for the organizations.

This paper can be accessed at:
http://www.pop.psu.edu/general/pubs/working_papers/psu-pri/wp0406.pdf