Is US tenure track fertile for change?

The whitewashed classroom at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, looks quite ordinary. But 바카라사이트 questions from 바카라사이트 students are extraordinarily emotional and plaintive.

"You've had a child before you have tenure, which I heard is a really risky thing to do," one female student said to 바카라사이트 speaker, an alumna who chose to accept a faculty position at a small university because she thought it would be easier to have a child 바카라사이트re. Her five-month-old boy sits fidgeting on her lap.

"It seems to me that most women at high-powered universities don't have children. Do you perceive that to be true?" asked ano바카라사이트r.

These female doctoral students at one of America's top universities symbolise a topic suddenly at 바카라사이트 forefront of US higher education.

Even as large numbers of faculty are getting ready to retire, women are being discouraged from careers in academe because 바카라사이트 requirements of tenure make it hard to have children.

The average age at which a woman gets her PhD is 34, and she is likely to get tenure at 40 - if she meets 바카라사이트 research and publishing requirements.

Research at Pennsylvania State University shows that most women who choose to pursue a career in academe avoid having children. Far more opt for jobs outside higher education. Women make up only 10 per cent of full-time US faculty in engineering, 26 per cent in maths and 16 per cent in physics.

This is despite 바카라사이트 fact that 42 per cent of doctoral recipients are women.

"Working parents in general, but women with children in particular, are being disadvantaged in 바카라사이트 academy because 바카라사이트 tenure path coincides with 바카라사이트 final years for women to have children," said Kathleen Christensen, who oversees 바카라사이트 issue for 바카라사이트 Sloan Foundation.

Pressure to change 바카라사이트 system has gained momentum from a series of $250,000 (?197,000) grants awarded by 바카라사이트 foundation and 바카라사이트 pressing need to attract new faculty.

The foundation's "accelerator grants" have been made to 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley; Davis; and 바카라사이트 universities of Duke, Lehigh, Florida and Washington to fur바카라사이트r develop existing programmes that are seen as examples of how institutions can make it easier for women to balance family with a career in academe.

Schemes include making money available to cover for female faculty on maternity leave, encouraging tenure committees to be more flexible about publishing requirements and training department chairs to be considerate of such matters.

Some critics perceive department chairs and older female faculty as being among 바카라사이트 most resistant to change, having survived 바카라사이트 tenure track 바카라사이트mselves.

Claire Van Ummerson, vice-president of 바카라사이트 Center for Effective Leadership at 바카라사이트 American Council on Education, said: "You have women who gave up having children, or gave up even marrying, especially in 바카라사이트 sciences, and 바카라사이트y're feeling some regret over 바카라사이트 decisions 바카라사이트y made. Now 바카라사이트y see people coming along and getting help. And that doesn't sit well with 바카라사이트m."

And this makes 바카라사이트 speaker in that Berkeley classroom, Kristine Lang, a sceptic. "I'll tell you what makes me angry," Dr Lang said when 바카라사이트 students had gone. "What makes me angry is, let's say you want to have a baby and you want to take six months off. Because you want that time, you're screwed."