In addition to systemic inequity, the lack of adequate parental leave conditions at many US institutions can negatively affect career trajectories for women in STEM. Support structures are needed at the institutional, departmental and funding agency level to promote the success of pregnant women and parents with childcare responsibilities in academia.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the insights, support and comments from S. Bhatia, K. Whitehead, S. Douglas-Green, H. Fleming and T. Samad. We would also like to thank Luke (born 2019) and Charlotte (born 2023), our own children, who have been a major part of our journey in preparing this Comment, for enabling us to see the necessity for systemic change.
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N.B. and L.H. analysed the data, wrote and edited the Comment.
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Claudia Goldin was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences: https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2023/10/advanced-economicsciencesprize2023.pdf
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity: https://www.facultydiversity.org/
NCSES Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf19304/data
Paid Parental Leave at US and Canadian Universities: https://aaronclauset.github.io/parental-leave/
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Boehnke, N., Hao, L. Support strategies are needed for women in STEM with childcare responsibilities. Nat Rev Bioeng 2, 96–98 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-023-00145-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-023-00145-2