Career and Family Balance of Texas Agricultural Science Teachers by Gender

Abstract

With the high rates of agricultural teacher burnout and attrition in the United States, the need for teachers to strike a balance between their work and family responsibilities is imperative. The purpose of this research study was to explore the influence of gender on Texas agricultural teachers’ perceived job obligations and family responsibilities. Utilizing an online survey instrument, a census of agricultural science teachers in Texas for the 2013-2014 school year was attempted. A total of 567 Texas agricultural educators completed the instrument, for a response rate of 30.8%. The teachers’ involvement in household responsibilities accounted for an average of 22.63 hours per week. In addition to the hours teachers spent on their family responsibilities, an average of 58.65 hours per week were expended on the total agricultural education program (classroom instruction, FFA, and SAE). When comparing genders, female agricultural teachers, on average, reported exerting a surplus of 7.5 hours per week on family responsibilities as compared to male teachers. Findings of this study indicated female teachers’ spouses worked an average of 8.65 more hours per week outside of the home, in comparison to the spouses of their male counterparts.