**Abstract**

This chapter presents a reflection of the processes through which academic mothers have reconciled work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research has evidenced gender disparities in academia, with lower proportions of female faculty as rank increases. During the pandemic, academic mothers have encountered intensified productive and reproductive responsibilities. As three academic mothers, we engaged in autobiographical interviews and conducted an analysis of these narratives across diverse points during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) *bodies that produce and reproduce*; (2) *the triple shift of academic mothers;* and (3) *resistance and change.* Implications for research and policy are explored.

**Keywords:** academic mothers, gender disparities, triple shift, COVID-19 pandemic, transformations in academia

#### **1. Introduction**

This chapter explores the experiences of reconciling work and family life among academic mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, through an analysis of narratives that we constructed from our own lives. These narratives were constructed through the use of self-interviews, conducted in the context of remote, academic work during the shelter-in-place orders that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, women in academia faced tensions between production and reproduction. Traditionally, academic careers have followed a linear trajectory in which productivity is rewarded over time [1, 2]. To be promoted, academics must meet competitive criteria related to research, teaching, and service. These criteria are transnational and have been exacerbated by neoliberal universities [3, 4]. This has led to a colorblind approach to ongoing disparities, in turn maintaining barriers to academic careers among mothering academics [5, 6]. As many of the challenges related to work-life balance have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this chapter explores the narratives of three academic mothers and the tensions and resistance they have displayed since March 2020.
