At the next Women in Leadership (WIL) meeting, Assistant Professor Sandra Della Porta and independent scholar Daniella Ingrao will co-present “The Realities of Motherhood in Academia During a Pandemic and Beyond.”

As a member of Brock’s Faculty of Education, Program Director of the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and the mother of two young children, Della Porta knows the challenges of mothering in academia. But, she says, the COVID-19 pandemic “shone a glaring light on the inequities that persist for mothers working in the academic space.”

Della Porta describes the upcoming WIL presentation as “the narrative oral history of a mother navigating her career in academia during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

By exploring ongoing issues related to mothering in academia during the pandemic, their existence pre-pandemic, and ongoing undervaluing of child care, Della Porta hopes to “ignite further thought on these matters and raise awareness around the need to move forward for the good of mothers, children and the field of academia.”

All who are interested are invited to tune in on Thursday, Feb. 9, from noon to 1 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Details on this and other upcoming Women in Leadership sessions, including dates, descriptions and login information are available on the WIL website.

Women in Leadership is committed to supporting and advancing persons who identify as women to achieve and succeed in leadership. All are welcome. Individuals are welcome to join the WIL channel on Microsoft Teams or to contact Jeannie Mackintosh to be added to the WIL email distribution list.