Childcare not enough to make a science career family-friendly
Maxine Clarke
Friday, 24 October 2008 09:35 UTC
This is the text of a Correspondence in Nature 455, 1029; 2008 by Timothy J. Roper & Larissa Conradt of the University of Sussex, UK:
Amanda Goh writes soberly in Naturejobs of her expectation that, as a postdoc, having a baby will almost certainly undermine her career prospects (‘The coming challenge’ Nature 455, 704; 2008). She also acknowledges that being a mother while continuing to pursue a scientific career “may come at the cost of one’s marriage”.
Goh hits the nail on the head. In our experience, the predominant reason why women drop out of scientific careers is that it is virtually impossible to combine climbing the postdoctoral ladder with having children. Provision of better childcare facilities is helpful. But it is by no means sufficient, as most women who want children also want to play some part in bringing them up.
The career structure for young scientists must be made more family-friendly. This means, for example, making part-time work a real possibility, emphasizing quality rather than quantity of output, and taking career breaks properly into account when judging candidates for appointments and promotions.
These changes would benefit male as well as female postdocs. Many young male scientists would like to have stable relationships and families, see their partners from time to time and help bring up their children.
If these quality-of-life issues are not addressed, then initiatives aimed at bringing more women into science are to a large extent pointless, and brave words about equal opportunities are mere window dressing. Indeed, it could be regarded as unethical to encourage young women to embark on a career that they are unlikely to wish to continue beyond the age of 30.
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Replies
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From Tracey Rogers of the Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia, a Correspondence in Nature 456, 29 (6 November 2008):
The reasons women drop out of science are complex, and Timothy Roper and Larissa Conradt have hit on an important factor in their Correspondence ‘Childcare not enough to make a science career family-friendly’ (Nature 455, 1029; 2008). However, I don’t see encouraging more women into science as either pointless or unethical.
Careers in science can offer enormous rewards to women. Moving into an academic environment has provided great opportunities for me as a mother, owing to its flexibility. I am now measured largely on my productivity, and my ability to multitask — honed by motherhood — is an asset as I juggle research, administrative duties and teaching.
I have worked in the male-dominated field of Antarctic research for the past 15 years, and I run a research programme looking at climatic warming impacts on the top predators, leopard seals. This work has been successful, thanks to my scientific team — which, incidentally, is mainly composed of women. As the mother of two children under the age of six, I suspect that a large part of my success has been due to the enduring support of my partner. I’m not going to pretend that it has been plain sailing, but I wouldn’t have done it any differently.
Let’s stop asking why there are so few women in science. Instead, let’s turn the question round to ask how those who made it actually got there.
As scientists, we are skilled strategists, overseeing the conception of a new research initiative, then the project’s gestation and its birth as a peer-reviewed article. These planning skills also sustain our lives outside the lab.
To those women embarking on the journey, I would say that it is not a road for everyone — but if, like me, you have a burning passion for your research, I would encourage you whole-heartedly to pursue it. It’s a long journey, so pace yourself and plan — including your home life and time with your family in your plan. Sometimes you need to step back a little in order to move forwards.
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