Sleepless in academia

The conditions under which women academics work provide the impetus for this article. Current trends in feminist and other writing are moving us away from dwelling on the disadvantages women experience in the academy. Yet the findings from the two Canadian studies reported here suggest that issues around children and career, anxieties about evaluation, and fatigue and stress shape the daily lives of women academics. The women do find ways and means of coping and resisting, sometimes collectively, although one of the major responses-working harder and sleeping less-might be considered somewhat short of empowering. We also look at what the prospects are for changes in university policies and practices.