I hesitate to respond to stuff like this on Ecolog, but must voice my support of Alia and Emily. It is NOT easier to have a family than to be single in academia. I say this as a childless, single person. My colleagues with families face challenges of the sort I simply do not, and particularly women with families face discrimination in addition to the discrimination they face just being women.
Again, while having a family within academia is something I have not experienced, it is an issue that is close to my heart because I have seen very negative consequences to the status quo of NOT affording extra consideration to those academics with families. I have seen it lose the academy excellent people, particularly women, when small changes could have helped retain them. In this age, in this political climate, the academy needs to increase its intellectual capital, not continue to drive it away. On Thu, Jul 4, 2013 at 8:11 AM, Alia T <[email protected]> wrote: > So an attempt to correct the institutionalized discrimination against women > in professional positions having children is discrimination against > child-free people? Then I suppose you can extend the argument that being > single with no children is a decision you've made with full knowledge of > its potential negative effects on your career. > > On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 9:59 PM, Aaron T. Dossey <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Sounds like institutionalized discrimination against unmarried people > > without kids to me. But with nepotism (spousal hires, etc.) running > > rampant in the ivory tower, I don't expect better in academia. > > > > I wonder if I can get some funding to hire a maid or help with various > > things as such. I am not married and have no kids, but society forgets > > that people like me still have a LIFE. Some help with laundry and > > cleaning, maybe some errands now and then, would help me a lot to balance > > my LIFE and WORK. > > > > I don't like the direction this NSF thing is going at all. > > > > > > > > On 7/3/2013 11:01 PM, David Inouye wrote: > > > >> <http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/**nsf13109/nsf13109.jsp?WT.mc_** > >> id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click< > http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13109/nsf13109.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click > > > >> >htt**p://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/**nsf13109/nsf13109.jsp?WT.mc_** > >> id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click< > http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13109/nsf13109.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click > > > >> > >> > >> Date: July 2, 2013 > >> > >> > >> BACKGROUND > >> > >> Instituted in 2012, NSF's Career-Life Balance (CLB) Initiative is an > >> ambitious, ten-year initiative that will build on the best of > >> family-friendly practices among individual NSF programs to expand them > to > >> activities NSF-wide. This agency-level approach will help attract, > retain, > >> and advance graduate students, postdoctoral students, and early-career > >> researchers in STEM fields. This effort is designed to help reduce the > rate > >> at which women depart from the STEM workforce. Further information on > the > >> CLB initiative may be found on the Foundation's website. > >> > >> The primary emphasis of NSF's CLB initiative in FY 2012 was focused on > >> opportunities such as dependent-care issues (child birth/adoption and > elder > >> care). These issues initially were addressed through NSF's Faculty Early > >> Career Development (CAREER) program, where career-life balance > >> opportunities can help retain a significant fraction of early career > STEM > >> talent. In FY 2013, the Foundation intends to further integrate CLB > >> opportunities through other programs such as the Graduate Research > >> Fellowship Program (GRFP) and postdoctoral fellowship programs, as well > as > >> expand opportunities such as dual career-hiring through the Increasing > the > >> Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and > Engineering > >> Careers (ADVANCE) program. Each of these opportunities will be described > >> and implemented separately. > >> > >> > >> PURPOSE > >> > >> The purpose of this DCL is to announce a gender neutral supplemental > >> funding opportunity for NSF research awardees that support postdoctoral > >> investigators. NSF recognizes that dependent care responsibilities and > >> other family considerations pose unique challenges for postdoctoral > >> researchers. > >> > >> Principal Investigators (PIs) of research awards are invited to submit > >> supplemental funding requests to support additional personnel (e.g., > >> research technicians or equivalent) to sustain research while the > >> postdoctoral researcher is on family leave. These requests may include > >> funding for up to 3 months of salary support, for a maximum of $12,000 > in > >> salary compensation. The fringe benefits and associated indirect costs > may > >> be in addition to the salary payment and therefore, the total > supplemental > >> funding request may exceed $12,000. > >> > >> Special instructions for use by PIs and Sponsored Projects Offices in > >> preparation and submission of postdoctoral investigators-Life Balance > >> Supplemental Funding Requests are included as an attachment (see below) > to > >> this DCL. > >> > >> Additional questions should be directed to the cognizant NSF program > >> director identified in the award notice. > >> > >> Sincerely, > >> > >> Wanda E. Ward > >> Office Head > >> Office of International & Integrative Activities > >> > > > > > > ATD of ATB and ISI > > -- > > Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. > > Biochemistry and Molecular Biology > > Founder/Owner: All Things Bugs > > Capitalizing on Low-Crawling Fruit from Insect-Based Innovation > > http://allthingsbugs.com/**about/people/< > http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/> > > http://www.facebook.com/**Allthingsbugs< > http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs> > > https://www.facebook.com/**InvertebrateStudiesInstitute< > https://www.facebook.com/InvertebrateStudiesInstitute> > > 1-352-281-3643 > > > -- Amanda Newsom ``Life shrinks or expands according to one's courage'' -- Anais Nin
