Maternity leave on CV - how?

[murmuration]

I have to provide my CV for a grant, and I'm wondering about how to put my maternity leave on. While early on I actually left it off (before its impact was obvious in my track record), I think I do want to include it to sort of explain why there is a dip in my publication record (which actually post-dates the leave, as papers were still coming out then and so the dip occurs about 1 year later), why I've not really done anything 'new' since that point, and to try to ameliorate if possible thoughts that my track record is poor because of recent low productivity.

Not quite sure how to do it? I was thinking perhaps as an italic line right above my list of previous positions? I officially only took 5 months off, but the impact has been considerably larger than simply 5 months less work, due to the discontinuity (e.g., I missed out on two years worth of starting PhD students, because I couldn't have one start when I was off, and then I was off when the next year was being recruited). Would it be dishonest to write just the year, or does that imply it was the whole year and thus I need to specify it was only 5 months? Everything else on my CV is noted just by years (e.g., positions, talks, awards, etc.), but then it seems different somehow for mat leave.

Does anyone have any experience or advice?

[disquisitiones]

You can put it in both places, i.e. in your list of previous positions and just above your publication list. It is probably better to put in both in case a reviewer is looking just at publications.

For both

"Note that I was on maternity leave in 2013"

or

"Note that I was on maternity leave in the academic year 2013/2014"

would be non-specific about the length of time. I don't think you need to be specific about the length unless it is requested. (On European grant applications you get automatically an 18 month extension in your time since PhD for every child born, regardless of how much leave you took.)

Panels and referees are instructed to take into account maternity leave when assessing applications. Unfortunately I don't think all do and since grants are so competitive having a (slightly) weaker publication record or a dip in your productivity in the run up to applying can knock you out.