As a man with an MS, who is also approaching 40, and also contemplating a PhD, I would be interested in answers regarding "age discrimination". Although I am nowhere near old enough to garner the support of the AARP, the EEOC does state that The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)" protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age." http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html
Since most PhD programs also include a job, then if you are 40+ they cannot discriminate against you. I hope institutions would follow the spirit of the law and not discriminate against people in their 30s either... Now, regarding gender discrimination, I believe institutions need to remember not only is the world what we make of it, but that employee costs are complex relationships that apparently defy simple logic. Those who merely analyze the surface of the external cost/benefits of employing women fail to appreciate the depth of the relationship. For example, you could easily state that there is a cost associated with maternity leave. But that one component of the relationship does not trump the remainder; in fact it is not an overriding concern. I base these comments on part to a bit of European news that I happened to catch on the airplane on one of my rare overseas trips. The spot was highlighting European companies who were not only offering female employees "extended" maternity leave (in the US sense - US maternity leave is a cruel joke; in Canada, families are offered approximately 1 year, with a full right of return) - but they were also catering to employees with families. By catering I mean they were not only allowing the usual flex time so that parents could more easily organize their days, but also they were offering FREE day care onsite! You simply drop off your child after you come in the door to work, then you can have lunch with your child, or even sneak a peek while your coworkers are out smoking. For those who juggle work and children, just imagine all of the benefits for parents! And you should have seen these day care centers - wow. What these companies had found was the benefits from these expenditures far outweighed their costs. Benefits included lower employee turnover and higher worker productivity, which have grossly underappreciated costs. That said, I contemplate moving to Canada for this and other reasons. As a parent it seems odd that I pay someone quite a bit of money to spend more time with my child than I get to... I certainly would appreciate the catering discussed above. David Thomson -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kristina Pendergrass Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 6:22 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: gender issues in ecology As someone with an MS, who hopes to still get her doctorate, I find there is either a real or perceived stigma against women with regard to beginning a family. Since a woman has to spend some number of months incapacitated due to the late stages of pregnancy and the early stages of childcare, it seems her only choice is to pursue a doctorate first (and have kids possibly late in life) or to begin a family before beginning a doctorate. Because my husband is 7 years older than I am, and because I finished my MS when I was 26, I am opting to start a family now, when the risk of Down's syndrome and other age-related complications is reduced. What I would like to ask the group is whether, in your experience, older women (e.g. age 40) are less likely to be accepted into PhD programs than students having just finished their BS or MS? I would dearly like to pursue a PhD (ecology is my passion!!), but I worry that my age at the time will prove a hindrance. Please feel free to email me at my email address (vs. replies to the group); I can compile results for anyone interested. Thank you. Sincerely, Kristina Pendergrass Research Associate, Scott-Ritchey Research Center College of Veterinary Medicine Auburn University, AL 36849 334.844.5574 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Inouye" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Career advice for scientists: the X-gals alliance > Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 17:36:07 -0500 > > > I'm hoping that women in ecology aren't facing all the > gender-specific barriers mentioned here: > > http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/10/2006100201c/careers.html >
