Women in science, yet again ...
Cecile M. Perrault
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 18:30 UTC
In ‘Geek Chic’ and Obama, New Hope for Lifting Women in Science
The topic has been going around for several years now and is really active, as can be proven for example by the numerous posts on the subject in this forum. The solution is not obvious, but it is nice to see that the scientific community cares about this. Personally, as a postdoc/young mother/wife of a scientist, I am dealing first-hand with the challenges of an academic career and family life. I was lucky to be in Canada when my son was born, and thus to receive 6-months maternity leave from the grant organism that pays my salary ( even though I am not the principal investigator). We just told the agency that I was going on maternity leave, and they added the equivalent of 6-month salary to the grant and extended it for 6 months. In addition, since I am in Quebec, all health-care expenses were taken care of by the government. Such advantages allows postdocs to pursue family life without sacrificing their careers. I understand that similar systems are in place in Europe. How come the United States have so much trouble implementing this ? Why can it not be conceived that having a family does not make you less dedicated to science or research? There is still a lot to do, and I don’t pretend to know how to solve this dilemna….
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Replies
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Thank you for posting this. I am a divorced (but happily re-married!), tenured professor and mother of one. I really feel like I sacrificed. Now that my daughter is in college, I have a little more time. I would not have had my daughter, but I didn’t get a job offer that year and, after I was pregnant, a new opportunity doing what I really wanted to do opened up. It scares me that I almost didn’t have a child. Six month’s leave! That’s great.
Science and family… I think the empathy gene does not segregate with competitiveness. Tenure is designed to make you prove yourself. You can’t be serious about science and have a family, I was told (more than once). Certainly a lack of role models makes a difference in physics, I think.
Obama is a great role model. He has a family, and no specific role model (other than a love of history).
Your title made me look, because I get so tired of the “women in science” whine when nothing is done. It is different than it was 18 years ago, but it shouldn’t have to be so hard. Support would have meant so much to me instead of judgement.
Who knows, maybe with Obama, the US will finally start to “get it.” NSF is so aware of the need for science education but blind to the negative impact that stress about funding has on the next generation. I’m not saying to make funding easy to get – although I do think funding “big science” has reduced our ability to mentor grad students. It’s just that two of my current grad students don’t want my job. They want a life. The third one is foreign and will go back to S. Korea. -
thank you for answering, it is always nice to know that you are not alone.
So many posts and articles are written on the lack on gender-diversity in academic sciences. Actions are being taken, but it feels like the tenure-track process is becoming more and more incompatible with family life. As women, it is more complicated as we carry and nurture the little ones (and this biological fact is not going to go away). The actual crisis is pushing more pressure on everyone; universities are losing budgets and putting hiring freezes; grant money being refused. I was just reading another thread on the crisis of confidence on scientific career and it really just hits home. Add the dual-career couple impact and you can be sure that science is definitly not a good career option at the moment.
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Sorry, I meant to post a reply here, but accidentally posted it in response to Cecile’s comment to Paul Smaglik’s post on postdoc stipends instead of here. Here it is, in case you miss it there.
Apologies if it seems like a bit of a nonsequitur in its other destination! -
I saw this blog and felt its again the same old story of we women complaining for better opportunities. We have to pay a lot to have our family.why Do we have to pay a price reproducing. Why is everthing so economy driven. I have a daughter who is 5 years old , and i had to struggle to get back to work because of demand that has to be provided by a mother to a child. I was in some projects and then after wards out and this continued,finally i had my own. But i am in a position where i am government employed, what about those females who are on contract basis, how do they enter, while recruiting for a post in office, once the members know that the girl is married, they dont prefer, or if she has a kid, shes rejected, i have been a part of these committies and have refused signing to such behaviour, so now i am no more in those committies. Finally who will decide the fate of a scientific carreer. I after having my own project did my LLM in IP from Geneva and Turin, and now i am a challenge to people. I want to break the glass celing, and we all should do it. When we were small in india specially, i got awards for projects, and was a bright student, but all shine fades away just because of gender. My office gives 4.5 months maternity leave , and now because of 6th pay commission in India, female employees will be given two years leave with pay to take care of their child. this is a very good initiative by indian governemnt, and i dont know about other countries, but here too a recent order says that you have to finish all leave before this leave can be given. I hope we are climbing ladders and will voice our concerns and make the place better and enjoying, with staggered working time and projects. Females have to be in political syatem to bring the basic fundamental change of work evnvironmant in a male dominated society
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