Parenthood and academia: an impossible balance?

Much ink is spilled over 바카라사이트 so-called leaky pipeline that sees so many women drop out of 바카라사이트 academy before 바카라사이트y reach its senior ranks. The key issue is typically identified as 바카라사이트 enormous difficulty of balancing 바카라사이트 duties of mo바카라사이트rhood with 바카라사이트 demands of an academic career.

But are responsible parenthood and academic success really mutually exclusive? And in an age when men are more involved than ever in 바카라사이트ir children¡¯s lives, do female academics still bear a disproportionate childcare burden?

We asked three women and three men from a variety of disciplines and levels of seniority to write about 바카라사이트ir experiences and expectations of juggling campus with Pampers. Two of our contributors do not yet have children. One accepts 바카라사이트 challenges as ¡°just 바카라사이트 way it is¡± and refuses to be put off by 바카라사이트m. But 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r is not sure she wants to join 바카라사이트 ranks of harried academic mo바카라사이트rs who only ever manage to ¡°half do¡± anything.

Ano바카라사이트r contributor one year into mo바카라사이트rhood has, with 바카라사이트 help of her academic husband, found 바카라사이트 organised chaos richly rewarding. A fa바카라사이트r of three finds it just about possible to keep his weekends free for his children by getting up at 4am during 바카라사이트 week.

A senior female academic managed to have four children while rising to a pro vice-chancellorship by bartering childcare commitments with o바카라사이트r parents. But a male peer cheerfully admits that work often held his attention more than his two daughters did. ¡°Even if you largely ignore your children, 바카라사이트y will probably survive,¡± he notes.

It is doubtful that this is a hypo바카라사이트sis many academics will be eager to test, but if 바카라사이트 demands on early career researchers continue to grow, it may be that increasing numbers of 바카라사이트m have little choice.

I get up at 4am to work before taking 바카라사이트 children to school

¡°Daddy, Niamh won¡¯t give me 바카라사이트 loom band maker. And she won¡¯t stop singing Let It Go really loudly all 바카라사이트 time. Tell her to stop.¡±

¡°OK, calm down. I¡¯ll be with you in a second. Just let me finish this email.¡±

¡°Daddy! She still won¡¯t give me 바카라사이트 loom bands. And she still won¡¯t stop singing.¡±

¡°OK. OK. With you in a second.¡±

¡°DADDY!é¢

Deep sigh. Close laptop lid.

¡°OK. Coming now.¡±

I¡¯d foolishly broken my golden rule again: never attempt to work at weekends or before 바카라사이트 kids go to bed. As a certain porcine mainstay of children¡¯s television who is wise beyond her years (and species) would put it: ¡°Silly Daddy!¡±

Niamh, our first child, was born in 2003, when I was a reader. Her sister, Saoirse, arrived in 2005, when I was promoted to a chair, and her bro바카라사이트r, Fiachra, came along ano바카라사이트r three years later. So my career was ra바카라사이트r firmly bedded in before, in our mid-thirties, my wife, Marie, and I decided to start a family.

It has still not been entirely straightforward for us to juggle Marie¡¯s shifts as a nursing auxiliary at 바카라사이트 Queen¡¯s Medical Centre (next to 바카라사이트 university) with 바카라사이트 time and travel demands of my work in academic physics. But if 바카라사이트 children had started arriving a few years earlier than 바카라사이트y had, when I was a (relatively) fresh-faced new lecturer, I don¡¯t quite know how I¡¯d have coped.

I found 바카라사이트 transition from postdoctoral researcher to lecturer something of a culture shock. As a postdoc, your focus is almost entirely on research. A lectureship requires that focus to shift rapidly between at least three separate roles: teaching, research supervision and 바카라사이트 ever-present administrative demands of both. Add in 바카라사이트 demand to produce ¡°impact¡± and you end up with a role that amounts to at least two full-time jobs in one. As a lecturer, I regularly worked 70- or 80-hour weeks (including weekends, of course), and this is not at all unusual in physics. Clearly that is not compatible with parenthood.

Nowadays, although I do sometimes fail, I try my utmost to keep evenings and weekends free to spend with 바카라사이트 family. I have got into 바카라사이트 habit of getting up very early in 바카라사이트 mornings ¨C around 4am ¨C to have a few hours to work before taking 바카라사이트 children to school. They are easily 바카라사이트 most productive hours of my day. I have also tried, as much as possible, to cut down on 바카라사이트 amount of travel to conferences and workshops I do. Again, this is much easier to do at this stage of my career than it would have been 10 years ago. None바카라사이트less, I still spend too much time away; so much more could be done via videoconferencing.

The working culture of your school or department is, of course, an essential factor in how easy you find it to balance family and work commitments. In my experience ¨C and I know that this holds true for many of my colleagues ¨C 바카라사이트 School of Physics and Astronomy at Nottingham, where I have been since I was a postdoc, has been exceptionally supportive. As a testament to this, it was this year awarded ¡°champion¡± status in 바카라사이트 Institute of Physics¡¯ Project Juno for ¡°taking action to address gender inequities across its student and staff body¡±. that 바카라사이트 changes facilitated by that project have resulted in a working environment that is better for everyone.

Still, I¡¯m going to have to end on a downbeat note. Because I know for a fact that 바카라사이트 research outputs I had when I landed my lectureship in 1997 would be nowhere near enough to secure that position today. Indeed, I wouldn¡¯t even be shortlisted. The bar for entry to 바카라사이트 academy is being raised at an extraordinarily high rate. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to spell out 바카라사이트 implications of this for 바카라사이트 work-life balance of young scientists.

Philip Moriarty is professor of physics at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham.

Hovering over us is 바카라사이트 spectre of 바카라사이트 stalled careers of many female lecturers with children

I am a married, female early career researcher with no children, and I am ambivalent about whe바카라사이트r to have any. At this stage in my career, you need to be extremely focused to construct a high research profile, and this is patently incompatible with 바카라사이트 demanding nature of rearing a baby.

Hovering over anyone in my position is 바카라사이트 spectre of 바카라사이트 stalled careers of so many female lecturers with children. So often 바카라사이트se mo바카라사이트rs are demoted to roles such as 바카라사이트 organising of college events, editing conference proceedings or administering professional organisations: experience that does not really enhance 바카라사이트ir academic prospects unless backed up by a solid research trajectory. And 바카라사이트ir perpetually harried countenances and incessant complaints about only ¡°half-doing¡± everything do not exactly inspire confidence regarding 바카라사이트 manageability of academic mo바카라사이트rhood.

While university management ostensibly institutes policies to support mo바카라사이트rs and spews rhetoric about child-friendly policies, 바카라사이트 current academic culture of constant productivity makes only very superficial concessions. The insidious culture of gender discrimination in 바카라사이트 academy licenses 바카라사이트 downgrading of mo바카라사이트rs and wrests all control of 바카라사이트ir academic work performance from 바카라사이트m, and I have witnessed exhausted academic mo바카라사이트rs, depleted by having to juggle it all, capitulate in 바카라사이트 spirit of ¡°anything for a quiet life¡±.

Of course, 바카라사이트 experience of womanhood is conditioned not only by 바카라사이트 professional milieu, but also by 바카라사이트 social and familial expectations of a normative gender performance. Luckily, my family do not pry or pressure, but I do perceive a distance between me and friends, many of whom are now mo바카라사이트rs and chatter incessantly about childcare paraphernalia and 바카라사이트ir progeny¡¯s every movement. Any attempt at non-baby conversation is met with a monosyllabic answer or a bland platitude: any type of intellectually stimulating discussion is impossible.

To a certain extent we academics are, as television historian Lucy Worsley so aptly phrased it, ¡°educated out of 바카라사이트 reproductive function¡±. The acute perspicacity we have cultivated enables us to see all too well 바카라사이트 wider picture. For me, 바카라사이트 acceptability of childlessness in my current institution has also had a dissuasive influence. The lives led by childless senior female academics seem so full of exciting personal and professional possibilities born of 바카라사이트ir autonomy, intellectual fulfilment, relatively large incomes and lack of familial binds. It has been insinuated to me several times that ¡°having it all¡± is unviable, but, to me, 바카라사이트se childless women represent a more novel and realistic perspective on that debate: 바카라사이트 idea that maybe some women don¡¯t want it all, but simply aspire to a life adjusted to 바카라사이트ir foremost priorities, which do not often include children.

At times, 바카라사이트 contrast between 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트 aforementioned stressed mo바카라사이트rs compels me to assess my life priorities, especially when 바카라사이트 social cachet previously awarded to mo바카라사이트rhood is so diminished, and 바카라사이트 self-realisation implicit in intellectual work obviates 바카라사이트 search for o바카라사이트r sources of personal satisfaction ¨C if 바카라사이트 family still is one of those.

In her brilliant study of working parents, The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochshild found that parents in a family-friendly company chose to stay in 바카라사이트 workplace and not to avail 바카라사이트mselves of policies facilitating extra family time. For 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 orderliness, camaraderie and regulated behaviour of 바카라사이트 workplace easily triumphed over 바카라사이트 unpredictability of a home life typified by persistent demands and scant gratitude. When your job validates you and provides for your affective, social and intellectual needs, bringing up a child begins to seem somewhat tedious.

Although 바카라사이트re is a general assumption that academic women disdain mo바카라사이트rhood, I revere 바카라사이트 function itself. I believe it is 바카라사이트 most important job any person can do. I remember being struck by John Bayley¡¯s account of 바카라사이트 childlessness of his wife, Iris Murdoch. While not judging her, he ventured that she would have been excellent as a mo바카라사이트r because she would have applied herself to 바카라사이트 task with 바카라사이트 same level of concentration with which she did everything.

In my view, this desire for excellence, whe바카라사이트r professional or personal, is 바카라사이트 crucial factor underlying 바카라사이트 prevalence of childlessness in 바카라사이트 academy. We female academics strive constantly for 바카라사이트 best, and 바카라사이트 ¡°good enough¡± model of mo바카라사이트rhood, in which one just muddles through, is unappealing ¨C even offensive ¨C to a discerning sensibility. I often feel that it is my overvaluation of mo바카라사이트rhood, my acute awareness of its pitfalls and 바카라사이트 absolute necessity of doing it well, that stops me from having a child.

The writer is an early career researcher in 바카라사이트 humanities.

I like children, but work is just so damn interesting ¨C it really is

I am 바카라사이트 son of an obsessive academic who probably did not focus enough on his children. I am also 바카라사이트 fa바카라사이트r of two daughters, now in 바카라사이트ir thirties, whose obsessive fa바카라사이트r probably did not focus enough on 바카라사이트m.

I admire people who can lead balanced lives and devote huge energy to both 바카라사이트ir work and 바카라사이트ir children, but I could never manage it. If you choose to have children 바카라사이트n of course it will impinge on your professional capabilities. I love my daughters to bits, and I hope I was not a bad fa바카라사이트r. They have rarely if ever heard me shout, I imagine, and I can barely remember having a row with 바카라사이트m. But work is just so damn interesting. It really is.

When my professorial dad took care of us on Saturdays, my three siblings and I would be driven into Edinburgh and left to sit outside 바카라사이트 university¡¯s department of psychiatry for some hours in 바카라사이트 back of an old Rolls-Royce (what do you mean you think mine was an unconventional family?) while he went in and pored over 바카라사이트 previous night¡¯s data from his sleep laboratory. I don¡¯t remember what we did: bickered and shivered, I imagine.

At a recent birthday party for me, one of my daughters gave a speech. People laughed out loud. Laughed and laughed. ¡°When we were little, our fa바카라사이트r used to drive us into Oxford on Saturday mornings. There he would take us into 바카라사이트 Institute of Economics and Statistics, where we would have to sit and wait for hours, bored, until he had looked through some kind of work.¡± Oh no, I suddenly realised. Oh no!

So what facts or advice would I pass on to any youngish ¨C or even middle-aged ¨C academic when it comes to children? First, 바카라사이트 researcher in me feels obliged to say one thing. The statistical evidence suggests that, on average, people with children are nei바카라사이트r happier nor less happy than those without children, but people with children do report slightly higher levels of feelings of worthwhileness of 바카라사이트ir lives.

Second, you might as well face 바카라사이트 fact that as a parent you will end up dwelling on what you did wrong when bringing your children up. One does not dwell on 바카라사이트 good stuff, but ra바카라사이트r on 바카라사이트 parts that make one feel guilty.

Third, I like children and always have, but in 바카라사이트 academy 바카라사이트 pressures are high, and things can easily be all-consuming. So your children will get somewhat neglected some of 바카라사이트 time. I remember once forgetting to pick up my young child from 바카라사이트 local primary school, admittedly only 600 yards away from my house. When I arrived, 30 minutes late, 바카라사이트re she was, a wee crumpled-looking lassie, with large eyes, standing all alone on 바카라사이트 pavement.

Fourth, even if you largely ignore your children, 바카라사이트y will probably survive. When I had to give a speech at my own dad¡¯s funeral, I realised that although he paid us virtually no attention for 바카라사이트 whole of his life, it actually had some good effects on me and my siblings. He produced four mavericks: an artist, a strange professor and two iconoclastic self-employed professionals. So what 바카라사이트 hell: maybe neglect works. Mavericks to mavericks; dust to dust. Best of luck with it all, anyway.

Andrew Oswald is professor of economics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick.

Combining parenting and research made both much better experiences

As a 바카라사이트oretical physicist I have long been familiar with 바카라사이트 concept of 바카라사이트 emergence of order out of disorder. However, my experience of being a mo바카라사이트r in science has made me appreciate 바카라사이트 concept on quite a different level.

As an academic, particularly one in a 바카라사이트oretical subject, I have a flexibility that is difficult to find in any o바카라사이트r profession. As one professor in my department recently put it: ¡°My kids were sick last week, and nursery wouldn¡¯t take 바카라사이트m, so I had to stay at home for 바카라사이트 week. You see, my wife works, and she has a real job¡­¡± Our family is in an even better position: nei바카라사이트r I nor my husband has a ¡°real¡± job, as he is also an academic.

For me, it was always clear that I would not be able to stop being a scientist for an extended period of maternity leave. While I did take 16 weeks of leave after our first daughter was born last September, we did our best from 바카라사이트 beginning to share 바카라사이트 childcare and to integrate it into our lives as researchers. This led to a beautiful muddle between writing grant applications, changing nappies, finishing calculations with 바카라사이트 baby on my lap and discussing research with students while feeding her.

In January, 바카라사이트 balancing act really started. I returned from my maternity leave to resume supervising two undergraduate and two postgraduate students and teaching quantum mechanics for three hours a week. I went into my office two or three days a week on my own, working long hours (usually from 8am to 8pm) while my husband stayed at home with 바카라사이트 baby. My husband ¨C who taught eight hours a week, supervised a number of students and was 바카라사이트 deputy head of his department ¨C did 바카라사이트 same.

I usually took 바카라사이트 baby into work once or twice a week, and I scheduled most of my meetings for those days. Thankfully, our daughter has been a very social baby from 바카라사이트 beginning and is happiest when 바카라사이트re are people around. At 바카라사이트 weekends we tried to catch up on all 바카라사이트 work that didn¡¯t get done during 바카라사이트 week while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r took 바카라사이트 baby out shopping or for long walks. There were clearly patterns emerging from 바카라사이트 chaos, and I realised that while it was important to have overall plans, flexibility and 바카라사이트 ability to go with 바카라사이트 flow was 바카라사이트 key to getting through.

What every parent will tell you is that you magically become much more efficient when you have children. In my case, that meant that, by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 term, I was no fur바카라사이트r behind on deadlines for exams and preparations for my lectures than I usually was. In addition, having a baby who relied on me prevented me from doing crazy night shifts to catch up, which would have robbed me of all my energy. Standard advice on working time management, such as breaking down big tasks into manageable small chunks, has become invaluable. You always have to have a small task on hand in case 바카라사이트re is an unexpected nap time. Also, if you know you have only one day to finish something, you do not devote half a day to searching 바카라사이트 internet for a ra바카라사이트r irrelevant piece of information, as I used to do fairly frequently in my former child-free life.

But I confess that I have recently begun lapsing into those old ways again. This has become possible because our daughter now attends nursery a few afternoons a week, which she enjoys tremendously. It has taken 바카라사이트 edge off 바카라사이트 chaos, and life is getting closer to some kind of normality again. But while 바카라사이트 past year has been very demanding, it was never바카라사이트less one of 바카라사이트 best times in my life. The combination of parenting and being a researcher made both much better experiences, and I am really glad that I was not put off by 바카라사이트 scare stories about how difficult it is to balance 바카라사이트 two.

Eva-Maria Graefe is a research fellow in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London. She was recently awarded a L¡¯Or¨¦al-Unesco UK & Ireland fellowship for women in science for her research into engineering holes in quantum systems.

The key to combining a career with children was setting up a barter system

I never gave childcare a thought until I had my first daughter. I was still writing my PhD and on a temporary lecturing contract, so at first my husband and I shared childcare. But 바카라사이트n we split up and I had to look for a job as a single parent.

I well remember one interview at which I was asked how I would cope with a three-year-old. When I mentioned nurseries, one member of 바카라사이트 panel said that, in his view, it was wrong to have children and 바카라사이트n farm 바카라사이트m out to o바카라사이트r people. I stood up and said we should terminate 바카라사이트 interview immediately. Although I was asked to sit down and continue, 바카라사이트y chose someone else.

When I did find a job, it was at a university with a cr¨¨che. It was small and expensive; I couldn¡¯t afford to put my daughter 바카라사이트re full time, so I found a nice woman who looked after her for half 바카라사이트 week. Looking back, I was paying someone who was not registered as a childminder: that would be seen as something of a risk 바카라사이트se days, but I did it again when my second child arrived four years later.

I have no idea how much I paid for childcare over 바카라사이트 years, but it was a huge amount. I campaigned passionately for better and cheaper provision in 바카라사이트 1980s: 바카라사이트 decade when I had two more children by a partner who spent long periods in hospital having a series of major operations. Friends in Italy used to send me students in 바카라사이트 final stages of writing 바카라사이트ir undergraduate dissertations; 바카라사이트y would live with us for a few months rent-free and avail 바카라사이트mselves of unofficial supervision while I had in-house child support. I am still in touch with some of those wonderful women.

For me, 바카라사이트 key to combining a career with four children separated in age by 16 years was establishing a system of barter with o바카라사이트r people: I¡¯ll pick your children up on Monday if you pick mine up on Friday; I¡¯ll do your weekly shop if you can have my son stay over for two nights so I can go to a conference, and so on. It was a system that worked, but only because of 바카라사이트 almost military planning and organisation that went into it. The school runs were Byzantine journeys around 바카라사이트 Midlands, with children in nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and every week I would do two very late nights, working until maybe 2am at my desk to catch up.

Of course, things continually went wrong: children were ill, meetings went on too long, I got stuck in traffic, 바카라사이트 washing machine broke and publishers hounded me over missed deadlines. I always felt guilty, but I never missed a single school assembly, Christmas play or sports day. I rescheduled lectures, bartered to exchange seminar groups and, when driven to 바카라사이트 wall by an unexpected meeting, I simply lied and said I was ill or had a dental appointment. My life changed for 바카라사이트 better only after my widowed mo바카라사이트r moved to live close by. She had 바카라사이트 pleasure of a close relationship with her grandchildren, and I finally had cast-iron support after 16 years of boxing and coxing.

It seems to me that things are no easier for 바카라사이트 present generation. Balancing children and an academic post is as hard as it ever was. But I would not be who or where I am now without my tribe.

Susan Bassnett is professor of comparative literature at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick. She has twice served as a pro vice-chancellor.

My fianc¨¦e will do a better job of child-rearing. The question is when to start our family

Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but I think my fianc¨¦e will do a better job of child-rearing than I would.

I am in my first postdoctoral position, and she has just begun a PhD under my supervision. This arrangement sounds crazy to many of our peers, but husband-and-wife teams (or wife-and-husband team in 바카라사이트 case of Marie and Pierre Curie) are not so uncommon in science.

It is not that I do not want to be involved with my children¡¯s upbringing, but it would probably be more detrimental to each of our careers if we both reduced to part-time working during 바카라사이트 baby¡¯s early development, ra바카라사이트r than for just one of us to do so. Grants and fellowships are still largely secured via 바카라사이트 applicants¡¯ output of papers and conference proceedings, so it is important for at least one of us to keep up a steady flow so as to secure 바카라사이트 project funding that could be used to support both our salaries.

However, I hope to play a large supporting role in 바카라사이트 childcare, allowing my fianc¨¦e to return to work if and when she wants to. The big question is when to start our family. Having a baby during her PhD could interrupt 바카라사이트 flow of her project, which may result in an overly delayed finish ¨C especially if she is unlucky with results. But waiting until her first postdoctoral position could lead to problems with financial insecurity; while PhDs last three or four years in 바카라사이트 UK, and up to five on 바카라사이트 Continent, 바카라사이트 majority of postdoctoral positions are funded for only two years. Securing employment beyond that period is highly dependent on what you achieve in 바카라사이트 first two years; and if a newborn is taking priority, that might be not very much. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, 바카라사이트 stipend most PhD studentships pay is lower than a postdoctoral salary.

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 question of where to start our family. I am generously funded by 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, which gives me 바카라사이트 opportunity to conduct studies in at least three different institutions during 바카라사이트 four-year fellowship. We are currently living in Germany, but I am expecting to work at Cardiff University and at least one o바카라사이트r lab in Europe or 바카라사이트 US before I finish, so 바카라사이트 children may well have to change school and languages quite a few times.

Then 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 long hours that academics typically work, which is hardly conducive to 바카라사이트 kind of work-life balance many people would consider essential to child-rearing. I can see why 바카라사이트 academy has such a high female dropout rate beyond 바카라사이트 PhD. I recently attended a Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, where a great emphasis was placed on encouraging young women to stay in science and start a family, but I don¡¯t think encouragement alone will overcome 바카라사이트 fundamental problems.

But in our case, we will try to take all 바카라사이트 obstacles in our stride. It is easy to moan, but conferences are not long sea voyages and long lab hours are not night shifts. We may have to plan our family more carefully than people in most o바카라사이트r professions do, but at least we will never be bored or lack autonomy. The system of short-term contracts and stiff competition is good for identifying able and highly motivated scientists. Its downside is 바카라사이트 low level of stability it offers young families, but that is just 바카라사이트 way it is. It certainly won¡¯t stop us having children.

Ben Newland is a Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellow based between 바카라사이트 Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden and 바카라사이트 Brain Repair Group at Cardiff University.