"I was one step away from a presidency on the higher ed career ladder, and in fact I had written my dissertation on what gets in the way of women moving into college presidencies. Yet it was not until I finally met my life partner and had the opportunity, in my 40s, to start a family that I understood how fully the higher ed career deck is still stacked against those seeking to have children, and especially those seeking to have children in nontraditional ways-largely women, LGBTQIA+ folks and anyone facing a difficult pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, adoption or fostering process."
"In the United States, 2.6 percent of all births- 95,860 babies in 2023-result from IVF, a time-consuming, costly and physically and emotionally challenging process. The percentage for women academics may be even higher, given their relatively high education levels, socioeconomic status and pressure to delay childbearing for academic careers. According to Pew, 56 percent of people with graduate degrees have gone through or know someone who has undergone IVF or other assisted reproduction."
"The literature has well documented how the academy has been created by men and is designed to fit their needs and their bodies. Women who have sought professorships or academic leadership positions have, historically, needed to conform to rules written for men's life cycles. Articles such as Carmen Armenti's classic " May Babies and Posttenure Babies" speak to women's attempts to give birth at the end of the academic year and after earning tenure. The tenure clock illustrates this issue well-the usual seven years in which a newly hired assistant professor has time to sufficiently publish and obtain tenure largely coincide with women's most fertile years."
A 20-year higher education career ended when an academic left to have a child after being one step from a presidency. Higher education careers remain stacked against people seeking to have children, particularly those pursuing nontraditional paths such as IVF, adoption, fostering, or experiencing difficult pregnancies. IVF accounted for 2.6 percent of U.S. births in 2023, and rates may be higher among academics who delay childbearing. The academy was designed around men's life cycles, and the typical seven-year tenure clock often coincides with women's most fertile years, creating barriers to career progression and family formation.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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