Balancing careers in academia with the demands of parenthood and ensuring a good work-life balance can be challenging. For many, it may seem almost impossible to achieve. Researchers today work in a far more competitive environment than their predecessors did at the same stage of their careers. The inordinately high pressure to publish, struggle to secure funding, and earn permanent positions are all very real, as is the effort to keep up with the sheer quantum of scientific literature being produced regularly.
While life as a researcher can be exhilarating, managing parental responsibilities and challenges can be terribly exhausting. Recently, a team of US researchers shared some interesting statistics from a survey of almost 8,000 academics in North America and publication data from the Web of Science.1 Their report revealed that among researchers without children, women (60%) were more likely than men (40%) to think about the importance of their career before taking a decision on whether they wanted to become a parent. Unsurprisingly, childcare and household responsibilities came to be managed by women – who ended up spending more time on these tasks than men, and experienced more pressure and stress in their careers than their male counterparts. With limited time to focus on developing research careers, women had fewer opportunities for networking and academic collaboration, and lower research productivity.1
For most academic parents, the problem arises when the pressure of research work conflicts with having to make time for the family. Not being able to balance the two creates not just a feeling of inadequacy as far as work is concerned but also a deep sense of parenting guilt. Here are some practical suggestions that organizations and institutions can adopt to improve the situation for academic parents and make it easier for them (especially women) to stay on and thrive in academia.
- Paid parental leave for both partners and shared responsibilities
Most mothers in academia have shared that in addition to their career duties such as research, teaching, community service, and administration duties, they are also held responsible for childcare and housework. This idea that women must bear the entire responsibility of childcare and home is one that is deeply entrenched and needs to change. Increasing the duration of paternity and maternity leave is an important step to address this. Taking time to be with family is not just about dividing household tasks but importantly about providing emotional support during the early, challenging days of child care. It will not only allow parents the time to bond with their child, but will also help to set the foundation for a more equal distribution of responsibilities in the future.
- Avoid enforcing rigid work hours, focus instead of achieving work-life diversity
Gone are the days of following rigid work hours and expecting a strict demarcation between work and home. The standard of working 9-5, five days a week is increasingly being considered as just a guideline and not a physical expectation, especially for new parents and carers. In fact, recent events and the consequent work-from-home mandates have revealed that flexible working hours can reduce fatigue and stress – factors that cause researchers to lose focus and underperform. Parents in academia must continually revise the ways in which they manage their workload to adapt to the changing needs of their family. For researchers struggling with parenting difficulties, acknowledging the increased responsibilities as a parent and scheduling work hours accordingly not only reduces stress but also boosts productivity and helps achieve a good work-life balance.
- Look for flexible grant deadlines and less intensive applications.
Researchers must be alert and aware of the ‘grant cycles’ of foundations and federal or state agencies and plan for often tight submission deadlines that can range from 30-90 days. Once you have marked the deadlines, you need to plan ahead on how to schedule your time to meet the different milestones and deliverables before the final submission of the proposal. Organizations should encourage collaboration here, so new parents don’t hesitate to get help where required. On the other hand, academic parents should make a list of people who could possibly contribute to and help with creating the grant proposal, scheduling in enough time so they can do their part. This will ease your parenting difficulties and make things a little less stressful.
- Incentivize online conferences and committee meetings.
Many academic parents are unable to attend conferences, seminars, and committee meetings because of clashes with parenting responsibilities. Conducting these events online or at least giving participants an option to join these events helps break down barriers to attendance, especially for researchers who may not able to attend either due to their parenting responsibilities or a tight travel budget. Online conferences also offer an expanded reach, simpler information dissemination, and a level playing field for both early career researchers and seasoned academics.
- Offering physical and financial support to academic parents
One valuable fact that academic parents must recognize and accept is that they cannot do everything and therefore, prioritizing tasks and taking help where required is essential. Today, there are many institutions that support parents at work by offering dedicated parent rooms, on-site childcare services, ‘bringing children to work’ policies, and flexible work hours. Academic parents should make use of available support from institutions and be vocal about any help that they may require. It may also be helpful to join online or physical academic parent communities where researchers support each other by sharing their experiences, tips, and ideas on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance and manage parenting challenges in these unprecedented times.
References:
- Burke M. Parenting takes a heavy toll on the careers of female academics in North America. Chemistry World, August 2022. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/parenting-takes-a-heavy-toll-on-the-careers-of-female-academics-in-north-america/4016048.article
