Dear Unmarried Single, You would naturally feel discriminated against because you have no idea, and absolutely cannot know, the amount of time it takes to care for a family. Before we had a child, my husband and I worked 12 hours a day or more. Yes, it was hard to get laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. done, but we had the luxury or working 12 hours a day. Once we had a child, we no longer have that option. Taking care of a child is a full-time job, and having a regular academic job on top of it is like working two jobs. Having children is a right that must be recognized by institutions and made allowances for, which is not there in academia. You can have no idea how difficult it is to be an academician and a parent. (And all this goes even for people who have to care for other family members like elderly or ill parents). We should not have to make a choice between taking care of our families and continuing an academic career. I am so happy to see that NSF has recognized this and is moving int eh right direction. And BTW, spousal hires by Universities is not nepotism. It is simply keeping their desired people happy so that they stay in the University. Again, it is recognizing that family is important and that people should not have to choose between family and career. I am sure the spouse is qualified for the job they are hired for.
-Kay
