Working on my new job as a gender awareness advisor at an NGO (I love what I do!!), I came across an interesting bit of research conducted on the challenges for women in accomodating an academic career with life as a mother. It's explained below but in short, it's not true that the combination would be rare or impossible. On the contrary, it seems having kids empowers women to go for that ideal career as well! Yes, we can!
This research analyzed the careers of women in sociology...
"Much of the literature on work/family issues in academia suggest that women with children have a harder time maintaining an ideal career because of the difficulty of combining work and family activities, both of which are regarded as “greedy institutions” This research finds that women with children are equally likely to pursue ideal careers as men with children, childless men, and more likely to pursue these careers than childless women. In fact, according to the results of a regression analysis, women with children are significantly more likely to pursue ideal careers if they are provided with resources such as travel money and research assistance."
https://workfamily.sas.upenn.edu/wfrn-repo/object/r6lr6q1fp6k4xh38
This research analyzed the careers of women in sociology...
"Much of the literature on work/family issues in academia suggest that women with children have a harder time maintaining an ideal career because of the difficulty of combining work and family activities, both of which are regarded as “greedy institutions” This research finds that women with children are equally likely to pursue ideal careers as men with children, childless men, and more likely to pursue these careers than childless women. In fact, according to the results of a regression analysis, women with children are significantly more likely to pursue ideal careers if they are provided with resources such as travel money and research assistance."
https://workfamily.sas.upenn.edu/wfrn-repo/object/r6lr6q1fp6k4xh38
Thanks so much for this encouraging blurb, and interesting link. Looks like a valuable network (albeit one that costs quite a bit to join). I wonder whether women with kids who work go for "ideal jobs" because they pay such a high price for working - so why not reap the highest rewards possible? I.e. it really has to be a very rewarding job in order to make us stay away from our kids, or? (If such a luxury of choice is possible.).
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