I am not sure if it is a good decision for this to be my first post on ecology but I feel I have to say something.
Please do not make insensitive assumptions about peoples' life circumstances. As a single woman with no children, being single with no children was not really a life choice. It is just how things have turned out so far. However, being married with children is absolutely a choice. There are pros and cons to all life situations. Being married without children provides a safety net for each individual which single people do not have. Life is more expensive and less secure as a single person compared to married childless people. Single people have more flexibility in moving for a job. The list is endless. While I don't agree with the tone of Aaron's comments, I relate. Society in general is geared towards people pairing up. Seeing all of my married peers go through the same experiences but with the support of a spouse made me a bit bitter at times, not toward them of course. I perceived it was easier for them, but I got comments that suggested I was footloose and fancy free because I was single and had no responsibilities. Singles have the same responsibilities as childless couples but no one to share them with. Married graduate students may have an advantage by finishing sooner or having a higher publication rate (http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/cheri/workingPapers/upload/cheri_wp94.pdf). but everyone is expected to finish on the same timeline regardless of their life situation. Also, graduate stipends are set assuming the student is sharing housing costs with someone, so they are expected to have roommates or a spouse. Living with a roommate vs a spouse is a very different situation. I understand that marriage has different responsibilities too, I am just saying that the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence, it is just a different species. There is no point in tossing insensitive assumptions back and forth because no one really knows what other people are dealing with. That said, I am ecstatic that something is being done to address the fact that women bear a disproportionate family burden, due to both biology and societal norms. How many women could have 2 children in 5-6 years and finish a PhD? I would imagine that would be very difficult, but I have seen fathers do this. They are not expected to take as much time off, and it would not be excepted for them to either. Lets face it, in general, a woman would have to take more time off even if she didn't want to. I hope we can all agree that others shouldn't have different consequences than fathers for the choice of having chlldren, but they do. Perhaps having more women in the field who make it to higher positions in academia is necessary to change the environment and this is probably the best way to start. Cara Joos PhD University of Missouri Biological Sciences 105 Tucker Hall Columbia, MO 65211 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> On Jul 4, 2013, at 10:11 AM, Alia T <[email protected]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[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. 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