The tenure system of academia is uniquely incompatible with the biological clocks of working women, according to a new study, one of the first to examine the persistent "leak" of talented women from the pipeline that produces professors.
For women intent on becoming both scholars and mothers, the timing of the tenure track could not be worse. The average female doctorate is awarded at 34, an age when many college-educated women are starting families. Tenure, a defining moment in a professor's career, is decided roughly seven years later, just as the parenting window is closing.
That's from the start of this WaPo story.
How come people have realised this just now? and does it really need a big study? And this is true in most professions.
ReplyDeleteThis comes down to the unfortunate fact that the years of strong body and strong mind, best suited for one's professional magnum opus, are also the best suited for parenthood. In our Puranas, King Dasakarana of Darvawati wanted to "fork" into thousands of people so that he could experience life beyond what any single person can. Nothing new under the sun, just a poignant statement about the finiteness of the human condition, and the keen awareness of it.
ReplyDeletehave to totally agree with L on this one -- what's new about these findings???
ReplyDeleteThis is newer :
ReplyDeletehttp://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2010_08_06/caredit.a1000077