Introduction
Most children are born scientists.
From early years on they are eager to understand and explore the world and its
peculiarities: why doesn’t it snow in the summer? Why do I have to brush my
teeth? How can Grandpa be in heaven when we buried him in the ground? These
questions and a million similar ones are known to all parents who try to answer
them more or less accurately. From a scientific point of view answering such
questions in a correct way can be a real challenge as facts, paradigms or
concepts do not exist in the heads of the children yet.
In daily life mothers are often
those left to discuss and answer these questions. In academic life discussing
and answering questions are mainly left to male academics. The proportion of
female academics becomes less and less the higher the positions get, although in
the meantime many European countries have more female then male graduates.
Looking at the proportion of mothers in science the situation is even more
dramatic. A part of this development might be explained by individual
preferences, but there is no doubt that many women who want to have children
leave academic life because they consider an academic career and family life
incompatible. Those wishing to pursue academic life decide against family life
from the beginning or postpone the decision until it is too late.
WE WANT FEMALE ACADEMICS TO HAVE A
REAL CHANCE TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY WANT TO BECOME MOTHERS OR NOT WITHOUT HAVING
TO RISK THEIR ACADEMIC CAREER OR NEGLECT THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
Goals
- increase the proportion of
female academics with children in all positions at universities or research
institutions
- encourage female academics
to pursue both family life and academic career
- increase knowledge among
employers about the positive qualities of academic mothers