Academia’s parent trap: the struggles faced by researcher mothers [Podcast w/ transcript]
How effective is the sector at supporting early career scientists hoping to start a family, including those who face fertility challenges?
"Alison Behie was approaching 40 when she underwent multiple rounds of IVF, enduring the mental and physical turmoil of miscarriage and uncertainty along the way.
How good is the academic workplace at supporting women like Behie, a biological anthropology researcher...? “The primary feeling was just this guilt that I had prioritized trying to get where I was in my career over my family. That’s not a way anyone should ever feel,“ she says.
Behie is joined by Karen Jones, whose research focus ... includes women’s career advancement and gender equality in higher education."
Full post: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00157-z
Modified on February 19, 2026