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Lawrence Summers, President of Harvard University, sparked outrage in the academic community following his remarks at the NERB Conference on Diversifying the Science and Engineering Workforce. The backlash was mostly in response to his comments about cognitive difference between men and women as an explanation for the underrepresentation of women in the sciences. There has been extensive research on the subject, which indicates that women do perform at the same levels as men when given equal opportunities and encouragement. Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, walked out of the conference. In an interview with the Boston Globe, "she mentioned studies that indicate that women score higher on math tests if there are fewer men in the room while they are taking the test." There is no evidence to convince us that genetics is the only (or correct) reason for the disparity between men and women in the sciences. In fact, Summers himself addresses another possibility. He believes that another reason for the small number of women at the top ranking universities and research institutions is that women are less likely to accept the demanding time commitment required for a tenured position. His statement addresses one of the tough questions facing the academic community today: Can women excel at the top universities and still have a family?
This discussion comes at an appropriate time as we celebrate Women's History Month. Certainly, the women's movement has made great strides in the past few decades. However, President Summers' remarks and the response that followed is a frustrating example of how much still needs to be accomplished. While women may have gained access to the workplace, many feel that they are forced to choose between a career and family. For women that do work, their salary rarely offsets the exorbitant cost of childcare. In the Feb. 21 issue of Newsweek, the magazine featured two articles about motherhood in America. Writer Judith Warner identifies a uniquely American problem: we live in a "culture that has no structures in place to allow womenâ€"and menâ€"to balance work and childrearing." The U.S. workweek is the longest in the world with fathers averaging 51 hours per week and mothers at 41. The economic pressures facing American families force many to sacrifice either their professional goals or their family interests in order to stay afloat.
The academic community can be a particularly difficult, stressful and competitive workplace. There are very few tenure-track positions. As a result, many professors will teach at three or four different colleges before finally settling into a tenured position. Six years of a rigorous PhD program and the pressure to get tenure leaves little room for personal time. At top institutions, there is the fear that taking time off to have children will hinder professional mobility.
The Bates Student spoke with a number of professors at Bates about the challenges of a career in academia. While all were concerned with the nature of Summers' comments, they emphasized the difference between a research intuition like Harvard where there is an enormous expectation to publish and lecture and a school like Bates. Bonnnie Schulman, Professor of Mathematics and a mother, said that she chose Bates because the demands were much less than those at research institutions. She believes that the much lower percentage of women is "both by choice and by discrimination at high stakes research institutions." She adds that in academia, "the expectations as to how many hours you work, and how much you are available outside of "regular" business hours are not always family-friendly." Tom Wenzel, Professor of Chemistry and father of two children, adds that he wishes "Bates would offer on-campus or near campus child care options." Women's History month tends, like all celebratory occasions, to focus on past accomplishments in the movement. We at the Bates Student would like to encourage people to come up with some realistic solutions. Below are some of our ideas: Affordable, high-quality daycare; Part-time work options; Government-mandated child care standards; Incentive for corporations to adopt family-friendly policies like Paternity leave; Tax policies that benefit the middle class