The postdoc mum

Aside from all the science talk, one of the main questions I hear in informal chats during workshops and conferences is “when is the best moment to have kids? PhD? Postdoc? Once you have a permanent job? After retirement?” All good options, none perfect. It depends on each person and their circumstances.

For people with academic aspirations, having kids is a step that often needs to be scheduled as much as a fellowship deadline does.

More or less according to plan (as I decided the postdoc stage was the best option for me), I got pregnant with my first child on the first day of my two-year Marie Curie Fellowship. After my six-month maternity leave I returned to work part-time and got pregnant with my second son a few months after. Between periods of maternity leave and part time working my two-year fellowship became a four-year fellowship. I was lucky in many aspects: my fellowship allowed for parental leave and contract extension, I had a network of collaborators at work, and a support network at home. Still, because I spent most of my fellowship working on one largely collaborative “big paper”, I had a two-year period with no publications, a significant drop in my publication output.

Navigating these first stages of parenthood while being a postdoc is very complicated, so much that many studies from different countries, institutions and disciplines show that this is the point where many women abandon the academic path (actively or passively). Despite being aware of the issue beforehand, I did not fully comprehend the extent of its effects until I experienced it personally.

Together with my colleague Dr Selene Baez we explored the issue in a recently published paper: Ten simple rules for postdoctoral mums to stay competitive in academia.
Because of the format of the “Ten simple rules” collection we had to direct the rules exclusively at the postdoc women, however, our initial intention was broader as the issue does not only depend on the postdoc women but on the whole academic community and beyond. As such, we presented ten rules with actionable suggestions for postdoc women becoming mums.

• Decide what works for you
• Plan ahead
• Work on your next contract
• Create a strong and supportive collaboration network
• Let your collaborators know what to expect
• Be protective of your work time
• Contextualise your career trajectory
• Discuss your expectations with your supervisors
• Reassess and adjust your commitments
• Raise your voice to promote inclusion in social and academic events

You can read more about these rules in the original publication, but in summary, they encourage mums to plan for what is coming, do what is best for them and their families, and find allies in collaborators or supervisors to support their careers at this delicate stage.

While the published paper focused on postdoc mums, we also hid multiple suggestions for collaborators, supervisors and institutions within the text, which I would like to expand on a bit more.

These are the "hidden rules" for the rest of academia.

1- Let the mum decide – do not think you know what is best for her. At a previous institution I got an email rejecting a contract change request with the reason: “I think this is better for you”. It wasn’t. There are so many things that a postdoc mum is balancing at the same time, nobody is better placed to suggest what she should do, especially when the advice is unrequested. So, just trust her. You probably do not know the whole picture.

2- Make yourself available, flexible and understanding- This should be obvious. If you want to support a postdoc in remaining in academia during a complicated time be helpful, put yourself in her place, give her some space but be there when she needs you.

3- Highlight relevant opportunities to her- If you hear of specific calls for carers pass them along! Include her in upcoming projects, even if she is scheduled to be on leave (she will come back!).

4- Be a good collaborator – Similar to number 2, be helpful, do not exclude people from papers or proposals because they are on maternity leave.

5- Contextualize applications- When recruiting research staff, academics or postdocs, take these career breaks into account.

6-Embrace diversity- Having a diverse lab, research group or department is much more enjoyable and it can even be more productive.

7-Adapt lab culture to make it more family friendly – For socializing, alternate pub night with other activities during school times, like brunch or breakfast, or plan family-friendly events over the weekends. It is nice to feel included.

Promoting an inclusive academic environment able to retain researchers that become mums is a joint effort.

While the paper provides some suggestions that mums can follow, it is our collective responsibility to ensure academia is a welcoming place for them so they can, and actually want to, stay.

I am happy to report that despite my two-year publication gap, I got a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (targeted at researchers who need flexible support due to personal circumstances, e.g. being a primary carer) which has allowed me to continue my research career at the University of Liverpool.

Maybe next time I can write about the struggles of being a lecturer mum!