Parenting and working in a pandemic
Joyce Chen seeks balance and equity as a mom, professor, Asian-American and a woman
Alayna DeMartini
Last fall, when school began in the new kind of way, at home, all or part of the week, with assignments and Zoom meetings and questions, Joyce Chen found herself in a predicament like many others did.
With three children at home, a 7-year-old, 10-year-old, and 12-year-old, someone always needed her for something, help with an assignment, help finding a pencil or getting on Zoom. They wanted someone to explain. They wanted someone to listen.
As an associate professor of development economics at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), Chen had to put her own research on hold while teaching a new class and converting another one to online. She needed uninterrupted hours, at least a few at a time, to delve into her research, and she didn’t have that.