Motherhood in academia. A conversation with Lisette Espïn-Noboa.

As two cis-gendered men without children, talking about motherhood in academia isn't really our forte. So, with Lachlan travelling, we took the opportunity to invite Hélène Draux from Digitial Science as guest co-host with Jakob for a conversation about motherhood in academia with Lisette Espín-Noboa and the role it plays in the gender gap. Lisette is a postdoc at the Complexity Science Hub and Central European University.

We discuss the structural issues within academic institutions that disproportionately affect mothers and offer recommendations for creating a more supportive environment for women researchers. We also touch on the role of fathers in sharing parental responsibilities and the positive aspects of motherhood that can enhance academic productivity.  We end the conversation with a chat about actionable steps that can be taken to improve conditions for parents in academia, including better childcare options, flexible contracts, and the need for role models.


The presenting sponsor if this episode is Digital Science.
It's produced and edited by Peter Xiong.

You can find Lisette and Hélène here:

• Lisette's website: https://www.lisetteespin.info/
• Lisette at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisetteespin/
• Hélène at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/h%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne-draux-4059233a/

Organisations mentioned in the episode

• Mothers in Science | @mothersinsci. Global non-profit organization that advocates for mothers in STEMM and creates evidence-based solutions to promote workplace equity & inclusion of caregivers. mothersinscience.com. 
• Parenthood in Academica (@parenthood_ns) 

Selected articles and resources mentioned in the episode:

• Anne Sophie Lassen, and Ria Ivandić. "Parenthood and Academic Career Trajectories." In American Economic Association (AEA) Papers and Proceedings, 2024.
• Stephanie D. Cheng "Careers versus children: How childcare affects the academic tenure-track gender gap." Working Paper (2020).
• Scott Daewon Kim & Petra Moser. “BOOM, BABY. WOMEN IN SCIENCE LESSONS FROM THE BABY BOOM." (2020).
• Gemma Derrick, E., Pei-Ying Chen, Thed van Leeuwen, Vincent Larivière, and Cassidy R. Sugimoto. "The relationship between parenting engagement and academic performance." Scientific Reports 12, no. 1 (2022): 22300.
• Allison C. Morgan, Samuel F. Way, Michael JD Hoefer, Daniel B. Larremore, Mirta Galesic, and Aaron Clauset. "The unequal impact of parenthood in academia." Science Advances 7, no. 9 (2021): eabd1996.

• A Simple Act of Defiance Can Improve Science for Women
• Researcher parents are paying a high price for conference travel — here’s how to fix it (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01571-x) 
• Lindsey Smith Taillie “​​Being a parent is a hidden scientific superpower — here’s why” Nature (2024)
• Kendall Powell “The parenting penalties faced by scientist mothers”
• Cecilie Steenbuch Traberg “I had three children during my PhD: here’s what I learnt” Nature (2024)

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