I have an opening in my group for one student. The project funding has already started, so it's very important to recruit someone now. However, no one seems to be the least interested in joining my group. Last year, I had students piling in droves just to talk to me. So what is different about this year from last year? Could it be that I am pregnant?
My other pregnant colleague has the same problem: no one is interested. Another colleague who was pregnant last year also had the same issue. Anecdotally, it seems, students don't want to join a group with a pregnant PI.
This makes me very angry because I see no difference in my capabilities of running a group now vs. then. It isn't like I'm dying of some incurable disease. This is blatant bias that holds (pregnant) women back from having a successful career.
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9 comments:
True, your disease is not fatal. But the (temporary) future lack of direct PI guidance is obvious and fear-inducing. Try tag-teaming your recruitment with senior student/postdoc who will help newbie get off the ground/progress during your absence....
Maybe they're afraid you won't have time to supervise them once the baby arrives? Are these master students or PhD students? Do you have another, more senior person working on the project that could help the student in case this is necessary and you happen to be unavailable?
I sympathize with your situation, but as a first year grad student who is now looking for an advisor, I have to admit that I too (unfortunately) might have been slightly biased against a pregnant adviser. Professors in this country are notoriously busy and I guess they're only going to get busier when pregnant.
I also heard a senior student here crib that when he requested his (then pregnant) advisor for a meeting, she blew him off saying that "she was having a baby and had no time for a meeting"!
My suggestion is to be a little more aggressive in your recruiting policay and explicitly disabuse the students of any incorrect notions they might have about your availability.
Despite whatever biases I might have, I am happy to join any advisor who (a) has an interesting project (b) has a reputation of being a good advisor and (c) seems like a reasonable person to work with.
While I agree this is a problem, from the student's perspective, you will be unavailable for a period of time as a result of your pregnancy. And that is a problem that can potentially impede a student's progress. Of course so could any number of other life events, but this one is certain and visible.
I am a woman in science and after a couple of years in grad school I can't help but advise other incoming grad students to pick faculty that have TIME to advise them. It just so happens that faculty that are recent parents have less time. That being said I think this kind of reputation is built so show them wrong and turn out stellar grad students and it wont be a problem anymore.
Babies are less disruptive than a professor heading overseas on sabbatical, too, yet I know several students who joined groups despite being warned the professor wouldn't be around for the next year or so. Maybe they're all terrified of babies?
Wow, that really brought out the trolls. I published just the reasonable comments.
I would generally agree with you and be appalled, but I rotated in a lab while the PI was pregnant. She was so busy trying to make sure she got everything in order for the rest of the lab, that I didn't have much time to interact with her. In the end I didn't feel comfortable joining a lab without knowing how our relationship would be, even though I loved the post doc an senior student I work with. I still have her on my committee though, and she's great. But I would similarly caution other students to wait to rotate until after the baby is born.i
I understand why a graduate student might not want to start their PhD program with a faculty member who will have a new child during the student's 1st year. I had significantly less time for work during my baby's first year, and I do think it impacted the people I worked with.
Perhaps a pro-active approach with prospective students might help. e.g. by setting up a joint project with another faculty member, so student has "backup". (I actually think this is wise in general for students.) Or to inform the student that advising students is a top priority, and you expect to be able to excel at this aspect of your job, even with a baby. (and I agree that this is doable).
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