Higher Productivity and Lower Work Satisfaction? Work-family Conflict of Foreign-born versus US-born Faculty

The proportion of faculty in the U.S. who are foreign-born has increased significantly in recent decades. These faculty make considerable contributions to the U.S. science system, consistently shown to be more productive in research. Yet, multiple studies have found foreign-born faculty to be less satisfied with their work environments than their U.S.-born counterparts. One possible explanation for some of this dissatisfaction may lie in work-family balance and related conflicts, yet this has been unexplored specifically to foreign-born faculty. Using the U.S. NSF-funded NETWISE II survey of academic scientists, we examine how and why work-family functions differently for foreign-born and U.S.-born faculty in U.S. doctoral-serving institutions. Findings show that foreign-born are generally more likely to experience work-family conflict than U.S.-born faculty, though the effects of work and family demands are mixed. Overall, further research on the multiple roles of foreign-born faculty is needed for a deeper understanding of their experiences in the U.S. academe.