Not 'news' to anyone here, I know, but scary article about motherhood and academia

kalidasa, I agree that having a child made me very focused at work and I don't tend to work in the evenings and weekends (I've got too many hobbies for that anyway). But as you, I never saw part-time work as a realistic option, especially if I want to be research-active and get promoted. I have great admiration for one of the posters above who said she is working part-time and publishing. I feel that if I was trying to be research active in a part-time job, the job would just expand to being full-time anyway, and I would simply get less money.

Yes it is depressing. I am a lecturer in a humanities subject at an RG university - fortunately just past probation so a fairly stable permanent job - and my baby is six months old. I returned from maternity leave quite early (when he was four months), partly for career reasons, but mostly because I had had a terrible pregnancy so had basically been off for a year at that point and it was driving me mad. I am the first woman to have a baby in my department for many years and I do feel quite isolated. (Though I reckon a couple of female colleagues are quite likely to follow suit fairly soon.) So far I don't feel that having a baby has made much difference to my productivity/work rate but it's very early days obviously. And also I made a big work-life balance effort a few years ago so wasn't in the habit of working a lot in the evenings/weekends as many academics are (including DH). When I am at work I find I am mostly v. efficient.

I definitely feel though that there is no realistic option to go part-time if I want to preserve the possibility of progressing to senior lecturer, professor etc. This is quite different from the experience of, e.g., my best friend who is a high-flying doctor (hospital) and has done several part-time stints, as has her husband; or of my sister who is also an academic but a psychologist in Australia and seems to feel pretty relaxed about the prospect of returning on reduced hours after her first baby. (Though perhaps she is just being naive!) I don't know any serious academics in my field or related fields who work less than full time. The handful of women who do are considered research inactive and are basically consigned to teaching/admin stuff.

I'm wet lab science and it's he most flexible job I can think of! When I go back I'm working 7-3.30ish so I can pick DS up from school. DH does mornings already and works 9.30-6. Occasionally I stay late for meetings but we have a Cm too and it is never last minute. Also the benefit of sciences is I think we teach less - I certainly don't have any teaching responsibilities at all.

As part of Athena Swan we have banned meetings starting before 10 or ending after 4 so that people picking up children aren't disadvantaged.

I think the article focuses more on the US where PhDs are longer and maternity leave is non-existent, which means that the conclusions might not necessarily be the same for the UK.

Having said that, I'm an academic about to take my 2nd lot of maternity leave, and I can see myself leaving academia in the not-too-distant future. I think I'm perfectly capable of being an academic, I have lots of ideas and the skills needed for the job. But what I don't have is a great quantity of sparkling publications (although I think the quality is good) due to both motherhood and other career choices I made when younger.

On the plus side, the flexible hours that you get in some parts of academia are brilliant with a small child, if you find yourself in one of those areas.

Agreed. Parts of it are not flexible at all. I am also always asked by friends and family "So what are you doing on your summer off?" Bwa-ga-ga-ga-ga.

I think that compared to a lot of industry, academia is relatively child- and parent-friendly, especially because of flexible working hours. At the same time, it is becoming more and more part of the global rat race that is the global patriarchy. It's all about competition, money, rationalisation, and who can keep their arse in front of the computer doing calculations for longer and mark coursework faster. All this is so twisted that communism is starting to appeal to me.

"I think its a shame that Athena SWAN is only for STEM" I agree.

The system is set up by men and for men without childcare responsibilities. That is what needs to change. And it is good to hear that there are some changes albeit slowly.

bigkids I saw one organisation's good practice document saying to ensure that male academics' managers are in line with these practices. Also one that says to monitor male academics attendance on equality training courses. Other departments who did all these things a few years ago concluded that life is much better for all now. So there is hope. My personal crusade is to replace "maternity" anything with "parental" or "carer", though I have not succeeded in making men do the giving birth or breastfeeding bits. Only joking, before anyone jumps on me...

Yes it is moving slowly. Personally the biggest change Inwould like to see is male academics (and men in general) taking far more leave, but that is perhaps outside the scope of Athena Swan

PromQueen Things are beginning to change. They are inventing different tracks to promotion. And the publication game - some groups are beginning to talk about measuring against "opportunity" rather than absolutely. But I guess culture change will take a long time. Still, better than not talking at all...

Also it's not all about having babies. Shows bias against women - not quite the same thing but makes you think.

Another one here involved in Athena SWAN!

I bought this book but haven't read it yet apart from the sample chapter: Why so slow.

I've had two maternity leaves (9 months each) and am now working part-time. I publish enough but don't do conferences. I don't get promoted but it's not clear whether that's because of any bias or whether that's because I don't want to be. Can't quite see what's in it for me - now I'm doing exactly what I want. Why should I get more stuff dumped on me? So it's not clear if I'm letting the side down ...

I think the main issue is that if you have a break for any reason your publications record will never look as good as somebody who hasn't so you'll loose out in the fight for positions (and positions are almost all temporary) this also affects your finding applications.

In our place, WoT, they never will.

I believe there is some research showing that six months' leave does not adversely affect your career, but of you take a year or more you never reach the level you would have otherwise. I'm on mat leave so can't find it easily, but it makes sense to me. A year would leave me struggling to return, I think. I'm taking six months again.

Ignoring the discussion of the representativeness of the research and focusing only on the issue of academia and motherhood.
It is a continual frustration to me than in my discipline (criminology) at a Russell Group university. There are
90% women at an undergraduate level
75% women at masters level
50% women at PhD level
80% women at lecturer level
0% women at Senior Lecturer, reader, professor level.

I was involved with the Athena Swan focus group yet despite these complaints being raised, we still managed to get a Silver Award overall. This, to me, isn't good enough, as there is a men's club at the higher level, with holidays away, bar nights etc that exclude all female members of staff where business decisions are made.

out of curiosity - what happens whenyou ahve your children and then try to go back to academia?
I'm asking because a couple of my female friends plan to do this. I suspect they won't ever reach the level they would like or would have if they were men and just carried on from uni.

It's a very interesting and depressing article, especially as I am an academic on my second mat leave right now. I do think that it is far worse in the states than here, though. And also far worse in humanities than sciences.

I am a scientist and struggling to see how my having babies could affect the nature of my work. That was decided years ago!

I am on the Athena Swan committee in my uni and there are great strides being made to retain and promote female scientists, because there is a financial incentive. I hear that the most unequal departments at my place (old RG) are no longer physics and engineering but history and English.

No you can't know that. I agree.

But I'm not comfortable with equating "mother" with the kind of identity people are born with: race, class, culture etc.

"Mother" is a choice I made relatively late in life and not part of the web of invisible but important social and cultural influences I was born with or grew up with/in.

As an academic and a new mother, this is depressing.