Faculty of Arts & Humanities D r L e e - S h a e S a L m a S c h a r n i c k- U D e m a n S r i S i n g S ta r
Notion of a healthy work-life balance just a myth DOCTOR Lee-Shae Salma Scharnick-Udemans is the Senior Re- “We try to live in ways that honour each of our individual capacisearcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Jus- ties and strengths. We still don’t always get it right, but we are tice at the University of the Western Cape. She is trained in the continually trying to honour our individual personal and profesintersectional and interdisciplinary study of religion. sional journeys as well as our familial commitment to each other Her expertise is in religion and media. She says, “I am interand our child. ested in the production, circulation and meanings “Having said that, most of my challenges were inof representations and discourses of religious ternal and I struggled with the same feelings diversity, religious pluralism and religious of loss, fear, anxiety, anguish, and later freedom. Working in a context that is grief that many others have reported. dominated by Christian theology, “I think the notion of a healthy workmy research orientation is part of life balance is a myth. It might just my political commitment to conbe another patriarchal constructesting the Christonormative tion, another unrealistic standpredilections of the field.” ard akin to those set by the On the subject of the panbeauty industry for women to demic, she has been trying endlessly strive for. I respect to allow for a more expanif some women feel they sive and nuanced view of have achieved this elusive the implications of Covid-19 balance — but I have not, on human existence and nor do I aspire to. experiences. “The category “It is an honour to do this of women is not universal work, and live a life of and factors such as race, earned privilege. Barring the status, seniority, domestic restrictions of living in a pancontext, physical ability and demic, right now I have the enhealth as well as mental health ergy and the passion to engage definitely determine the extent to fully with my many lives and I plan which women academics were afto do this to the best of my ability. fected. I speak to my therapist regularly, try “My domestic context is secure, wellto move my body every day, read pocontained and generally a source of joy etry, binge watch terrible television, take and freedom. I live with my husband and our my CBD oil, burn some imphepho, eat four-year-old son. When the pandemic some green stuff, drink lots of water hit it was difficult not having child care “I think the notion of a healthy work-life and hold my loved ones close. assistance and my usual support sys- balance is a myth. It might just be an- “I am currently participating in a prestem. However, since our home life is other patriarchal construction, another tigious programme on the development structured along principles of altruism, of public scholarship with North Eastern unrealistic standard … for women to University in the US. My latest research mutuality and respect, my partner and I were able to support each other with endlessly strive for.” project explores how women of colour the specificity that each of our varying express their religious diversity and reresponsibilities demanded. ligious agency on social media.”
