While I cannot comment on whether discrimination exists, I would like to address the issue of preventing it. Many institutions have adopted equal opportunity policies, but have not removed the incentive to discriminate, which puts hiring committees in a very difficult situation. Specifically, it is not enough to ensure equal pay, maternity benefits and the like -- it is also necessary that institutions takes steps to avoid punishing departments which avoid discrimination.
I have taught in academic departments where the faculty had to assume an overload, including teaching courses for which no one had the proper background, because the professor in that specialty was on maternity leave. I have also seen work in a government laboratory grind to a halt when an essential secretary or administrator went on maternity leave. There are clearly grounds for concern when a critical employee may suddenly leave because of pregnancy. The solutiion to this problem is for universities and other institutions to take steps to ensure that any affected departments are covered if staff go on leave (including paternity leave if that is the practice). When a university says that you have to be an equal opportunity employer, but if you hire a woman and she goes off on maternity leave you have to do without, then there is a lot of pressure on the people who do the hiring to try to get a man. The bottom line is that maternity leave costs money. If the government or university administration is willing to pay the costs, then there is no reason for departments to discriminate. But if a department is told to implment a policy that could have negative impacts on it, it provides an incentive to cheat. So we need to put pressure on the people who control the budgets, not on those caught in the middle. Bill Silvert Peral, Portugal "No good deed goes unpunished." ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kristina Pendergrass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 2:21 PM Subject: Re: gender issues in ecology > As someone with an MS, who hopes to still get her doctorate, I find there > is either a real or perceived stigma against women with regard to > beginning a family. Since a woman has to spend some number of months > incapacitated due to the late stages of pregnancy and the early stages of > childcare, it seems her only choice is to pursue a doctorate first (and > have kids possibly late in life) or to begin a family before beginning a > doctorate. > > Because my husband is 7 years older than I am, and because I finished my > MS when I was 26, I am opting to start a family now, when the risk of > Down's syndrome and other age-related complications is reduced. > > What I would like to ask the group is whether, in your experience, older > women (e.g. age 40) are less likely to be accepted into PhD programs than > students having just finished their BS or MS? I would dearly like to > pursue a PhD (ecology is my passion!!), but I worry that my age at the > time will prove a hindrance. > > Please feel free to email me at my email address (vs. replies to the > group); I can compile results for anyone interested. > > Thank you. Sincerely, > > Kristina Pendergrass > Research Associate, > Scott-Ritchey Research Center > College of Veterinary Medicine > Auburn University, AL 36849 > 334.844.5574 > > >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "David Inouye" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU >> Subject: Career advice for scientists: the X-gals alliance >> Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 17:36:07 -0500 >> >> >> I'm hoping that women in ecology aren't facing all the >> gender-specific barriers mentioned here: >> >> http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/10/2006100201c/careers.html > >> > >
