Over the baby bump

doi:10.1126/science.373.6555.710

GSTDTAP > 气候变化

DOI	10.1126/science.373.6555.710
	Over the baby bump
	Martha Nelson
	2021-08-06
发表期刊	Science
出版年	2021
英文摘要	“Well, at least you have permanent job security,” my aunt casually remarked last summer, referring to my role in the federal government's COVID-19 response. I shuddered. Little did she know I had just learned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would not be renewing my annual contract. In my 12 years at NIH, job security had never been a priority; instead, I prized independence. But now, new motherhood followed by the pandemic seemed to be sinking my career, and I had to find a new path. > “I was in danger of repeating a past mistake of quitting prematurely.” I had waited to have a baby until my career was well established, thinking that would help buffer me from some of the challenges I knew scientist mothers face, but I still struggled. When my son was born in 2018, I had no paid parental leave (U.S. government workers were finally granted paid parental leave in October 2020), and my husband got just 2 weeks from his small company. I could telework from home for the baby's first months, and I appreciated the flexibility at first. But it ended up being the worst of all worlds. I had neither full-time leave to adjust to motherhood nor a presence in the office to sway decisions pertaining to my work. When I returned to the office, my supervisor repeatedly warned that I was on thin ice. I acknowledged that adjusting to being a working mom was a steep learning curve, but I was exhausted trying to manage all my obligations and didn't know what I could do differently. When it came time to renew my annual contract, my supervisor said he was inclined not to sign it. I cried and convinced him to renew me for one more year. But 3 months later, the pandemic hit and even more of my time was devoted to caring for my son. The next time around, my supervisor made good on his threat. I was gutted. My virtual going away party felt more like a funeral. But then my son burst into the living room, triumphantly clutching his ukulele and filling the space with his light. I realized I was prepared to do anything to safeguard my family—including switching to a more secure, family-friendly career path. I began to speak with colleagues in science policy and communication about alternatives. But when I gathered a group of trusted women in my field for a videochat, they insisted I could stay in research. All I needed was a crash course in survival as a woman and mother in science. For months we met weekly to postmortem the nonscientific reasons my job fell apart and give me confidence to find a new one. I was surprised to learn that the setbacks I had faced were not unusual for women scientists. My colleagues also pointed out how my own gender biases were crippling my job search. My husband and I were determined to both be highly involved parents. Still, I was rejecting positions with longer hours or commutes, fearing they might interfere with my self-imposed expectations for my role as a mother rather than giving myself credit for securing my family financially while my husband launched a new company. I also realized I was in danger of repeating a past mistake of quitting prematurely instead of giving myself time to adapt. Twenty years ago, I was a promising high school distance runner, with a boyish frame that helped me capture title after title. But during puberty I temporarily got fleshier and slower. Dieting and intense workouts only accelerated burnout until I gave up and quit, feeling broken. Years later, I dusted myself off and began trail running in the mountains. When I finally joined the college track team, I raced faster than ever and proved I did not need to be a flat-bodied pixie, I just needed time and space for my changing body to adjust. I have not stopped racing since. I've learned, twice now, to keep lacing up. The pandemic was my tipping point as a working mom, but I survived by reaching out to savvier women who gave me perspective. I've now secured a better position at another branch of NIH that maintains my research independence while offering greater job security. This fall I'll be heading to my new office just as my toddler begins his first day of preschool. Other kids will surely push him down and snatch his toys. But I'll let him know the same thing happens to his mom, and we dust off, redirect, and embark on new adventures together.
领域	气候变化 ; 资源环境
URL	查看原文
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/335557
专题	气候变化资源环境科学
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Martha Nelson. Over the baby bump[J]. Science,2021.
APA	Martha Nelson.(2021).Over the baby bump.Science.
MLA	Martha Nelson."Over the baby bump".Science (2021).