Balancing the Scales: Motherhood and Academia in a System Not Built for Women

By Dr Tracie McKinney, Senior Lecturer in Human Biology, University of South Wales

I had a number of female professors in graduate school.  They were brilliant, hard-working, and respected amongst students.  It took a while for me to notice that none of them had children.  I saw this pattern towards the end of my study, when one of these women gained tenure and got pregnant about half an hour later.  She had been waiting for years to felt secure enough in her position to start a family.  Earning tenure in the US is a long-shot; most scholars never get there, and those who do are rarely under the age of 40.  This woman planned to the last detail how she could “have it all” in a system that was not designed for women.

The situation for women in STEM is improving, and the UK is decades ahead of the US in how it treats working mothers.  Regardless, this was a bit of an eye-opener for me.  I always wanted a family, but I wanted to be a scholar, too.  Why do these things have to be mutually exclusive?  Most of my male profs had kids, and it never slowed them down.

I’m there now, with the coolest kid in town and a secure post as a senior lecturer.  Trying to balance motherhood and academia is not easy, though, and my field research has been put on hold.  I’ve managed to find a comfortable balance for me, but it is our job to make sure this gets easier for those who come after us.