[ECOLOG-L] work-life
There's an interesting "Working Life" essay by a graduate student in the latest issue of Science. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6416/862 -- Dr. David W. Inouye Professor Emeritus Department of Biology University of Maryland Principal Investigator Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory
[ECOLOG-L] work-life balance overshadows ambition article
Hello Ecologgers, I came across this article today and thought it was good food-for-thought in light of the previous discussion on work-life balance for females. Its an interesting read. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/we-need-to-tell-girls- they-can-have-it-all-even-if-they-cant/259165/# But in all the talk about work-life balance, I fear we are ignoring another crucial issue: the guilt that keeps women from aiming for the top and negotiating their lives from there. It is high time that unapologetic ambition for those who feel it became the rule, rather than the exception. Because ambition cannot be taught, but it can be crushed. -Kate
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
Hi Georgina, I like that you pointed out that issues of work-life balance concerns both academics creating new families as well as those caring for already existing families (parents, siblings, spouses). Some families have family members that need life-time care due to mental or physical disabilities. These responsibilities may come suddenly, for example, following a stroke, or may be present since birth, such as autism or down syndrome. A greater workplace flexibility for single and married people would allow for academics to continue their chosen career path as well as care for family members, responsibilities that may or may not be expected. Noelle Beckman, Ph.D. http://web.me.com/noellebeckman/ On Sep 23, 2011, at 11:27 AM, Georgina Cullman wrote: Having programs in place to support people who do chose to have families and do not have the option or the inclination to rely on spouses or others for caregiving doesn't take away from those who want to spend all their time working. Power to them! They will probably make tenure faster! But I think it is important to make it possible for those who can't spend all their time working also to advance their careers. I think it is important to recognize that, if as a society, we want more gender equity in academia then we have to create institutions that don't force people to chose work over family in order to succeed. It is simply a reality that, historically, women have had to make that tough decision and that is why so many university departments are disproportionately male. If we want a more equitable gender distribution then we need to create institutions that deal with the world as it is rather than addressing policies to some abstracted supposedly equal individual. There are other reasons why creating a more flexible workspace is important -- for people caring for relatives, for people dealing with illness, and for those who have physical disabilities. I want to be part of a more inclusive future in academia. On Sep 22, 2011, at 10:26 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: The last two paragraphs seem sexist to me, assuming that it's only women who are the home makers, and all women are home makers. The recommendations in the last paragraph seem discriminatory against unmarried people, and especially unmarried people with no children. At some point, I think the reality has to be recognized that one's family life is not the responsibility of one's employer. Let's say some special perks for married people, and then married people with kids, are instituted (they already kind of are, spousal hirings and such) where does it end? The needs of a single parent are tremendous compared to those of married parents. There is also a large difference in the needs for someone or a couple with one child versus 3, or 5, or 8 (sometimes all at once! :) )! Then there's differences in cultures and religions to consider. It seems like weaving a very complex web. However, maybe, just maybe everyone can be treated equally as an individual/professional and leave it at that? Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Curriculum_Vitae.pdf On 9/22/2011 5:19 PM, Judith S. Weis wrote: This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific community’s lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researcher’s life…not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, “Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing.” She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. “In fact,” she notes, “I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains.” For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate “24/7 labs” where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
Having programs in place to support people who do chose to have families and do not have the option or the inclination to rely on spouses or others for caregiving doesn't take away from those who want to spend all their time working. Power to them! They will probably make tenure faster! But I think it is important to make it possible for those who can't spend all their time working also to advance their careers. I think it is important to recognize that, if as a society, we want more gender equity in academia then we have to create institutions that don't force people to chose work over family in order to succeed. It is simply a reality that, historically, women have had to make that tough decision and that is why so many university departments are disproportionately male. If we want a more equitable gender distribution then we need to create institutions that deal with the world as it is rather than addressing policies to some abstracted supposedly equal individual. There are other reasons why creating a more flexible workspace is important -- for people caring for relatives, for people dealing with illness, and for those who have physical disabilities. I want to be part of a more inclusive future in academia. On Sep 22, 2011, at 10:26 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote: The last two paragraphs seem sexist to me, assuming that it's only women who are the home makers, and all women are home makers. The recommendations in the last paragraph seem discriminatory against unmarried people, and especially unmarried people with no children. At some point, I think the reality has to be recognized that one's family life is not the responsibility of one's employer. Let's say some special perks for married people, and then married people with kids, are instituted (they already kind of are, spousal hirings and such) where does it end? The needs of a single parent are tremendous compared to those of married parents. There is also a large difference in the needs for someone or a couple with one child versus 3, or 5, or 8 (sometimes all at once! :) )! Then there's differences in cultures and religions to consider. It seems like weaving a very complex web. However, maybe, just maybe everyone can be treated equally as an individual/professional and leave it at that? Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Curriculum_Vitae.pdf On 9/22/2011 5:19 PM, Judith S. Weis wrote: This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific community’s lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researcher’s life…not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, “Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing.” She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. “In fact,” she notes, “I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains.” For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate “24/7 labs” where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the students and postdocs who work for them. Contrary to many who turned her down due to fear of being portrayed as “slave-drivers” Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa welcomed her into his lab, eager to show off his neurosurgery skills and devoted research team of tired students and postdocs. At first glance, it would seem that with 13 concurrent grants, 113 publications since 2005 and an h index of 27, compared with the average of 10.7 among his neuroscience colleagues, that the long hours Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa requires of himself and his team have paid off in spades. However, it all depends on how you measure success. Attending late-night lab meetings every Friday and working through all major holidays, some of the students in this lab cited not being able to see their families abroad for years.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
In 2005, the journal *Science *published an essay addressing the topics being discussed on this listserv. In particular, the essay concerns women in science, and it generated several comments (link attached). I am one of the respondents; however, independent of that fact, I recommend the complete exchange. Rather than repeat my 2005 comments, I'd like to put another perspective on the table. IMO, it would be instructive for female graduate students other young females pursuing a Ph.D. and subsequent scientific career to study choices being made by female M.D.s. Those physicians deciding to pursue, say, *hands on* parenting, elder care, etc. and to integrate traditional forms of leisure/play into their lifestyles are choosing flexible specializationsw/fewer temporal energetic demands (e.g., dermatology, internal medicine, emergency-room physician, and the like). Indeed, a few of my female acquaintances who are physicians, all of them internists or emergency-room doctors, and who, for a range of reasons, elect non-paying, caretaking roles, work part-time and have successful, apparently satisfying, practices. At least one of these women has a companionate, egalitarian marriage that includes shared child-care. Another model that I have personally observed is a marriage between 2 internists, sharing an office, both working full-time; this couple often brought their toddler to the office w/a nanny. These sorts of tradeoff are, also, possible for females w/a D.D.S. Unless I am mistaken, most females graduating from medical/dental school, elect one of the previous options. As I understand the statistics, female physicians dentists are much less likely than their male cohorts to choose, say, cardiology, surgical specialities (MD or DDS), or time-energy intense specializations (e.g., crown bridge concentration). My reason for putting these models on the table is to suggest that the Ph.D. scientists vocal about career balance, sexual equality, and the like *appear *to me to be requesting sexual equity (e.g., equity in pay w/men, etc.) *independent of the choices that they make*. This posture appears to me to be not only unrealistic but, also, immature relative to what I understand to be the tradeoffs being chosen by female MDs DDSs. As a recent member of the listserv stated: Why should academia pay for or, I would add, be involved with, a person,s personal choices? If females continue to choose activities that are inherently unpredictable in TS, that require frequent if not continuous interruptions of concentration schedules, etc., then it is important ( grown-up) for them to accept responsibility for the lifestyles they value. Costsbenefits attend every choice. Finally, there are, simply by chance alone, exceptions to the opinions expressed herein. However, in my experience, these exceptions have been women who are independently wealthy or who do not have children or who have an uncommon support system driving their careers--usually an older scientist, not infrequently a relative (especially a father). I also have encountered very successful female scientists whose success depends in some measure to their superior networking and/or time-management skills. Interviews that I have read/heard featuring top-ranked female scientists highlight the importance of choosing down-time wisely, especially when their children were dependent. Bottom line, if one wants a career in the mainstream of science, one will do what is necessary to make that happen. One cannot be a surgeon with a baby strapped to one's back. Personal disclosure: I gave up custody of my 3 children in order to devote full-time to my academic career (field-work outside the States, etc.). I have never regretted this decision though the costs have been high. I am not recommending this career strategy to others. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/309/5738/1190.short/reply On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 12:27 PM, Georgina Cullman gc...@columbia.eduwrote: Having programs in place to support people who do chose to have families and do not have the option or the inclination to rely on spouses or others for caregiving doesn't take away from those who want to spend all their time working. Power to them! They will probably make tenure faster! But I think it is important to make it possible for those who can't spend all their time working also to advance their careers. I think it is important to recognize that, if as a society, we want more gender equity in academia then we have to create institutions that don't force people to chose work over family in order to succeed. It is simply a reality that, historically, women have had to make that tough decision and that is why so many university departments are disproportionately male. If we want a more equitable gender distribution then we need to create institutions that deal with the world as it is rather than addressing policies to some abstracted supposedly equal individual. There are other reasons
[ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific communitys lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researchers life not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing. She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. In fact, she notes, I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains. For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate 24/7 labs where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the students and postdocs who work for them. Contrary to many who turned her down due to fear of being portrayed as slave-drivers Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa welcomed her into his lab, eager to show off his neurosurgery skills and devoted research team of tired students and postdocs. At first glance, it would seem that with 13 concurrent grants, 113 publications since 2005 and an h index of 27, compared with the average of 10.7 among his neuroscience colleagues, that the long hours Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa requires of himself and his team have paid off in spades. However, it all depends on how you measure success. Attending late-night lab meetings every Friday and working through all major holidays, some of the students in this lab cited not being able to see their families abroad for years. Furthermore, the PI himself admits to being an absentee father. He notes that while in residency at the University of California, San Francisco, his three young children thought he lived at the hospital, and effectively he did clocking 140 hours a week. Yet strangely, he seems to truly enjoy his career and life choices. This then begs the question of how to define work-life balance. Some have argued that this term is insufficient; rejecting the notion that any semblance of balance between work and family or personal life can reasonably by achieved in the throes of a research-oriented academic career. Instead, terms such as work-life satisfaction have emerged. This suggests that whatever ratio of work to personal time needs to be achieved in order for an individual to be satisfied is sufficient. But one has to wonder if Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa would even be able to choose his current work-life ratio without a spouse at home to take care of their three children? Because many women scientists dont have the luxury of choosing between work and family, it is vitally important for academic institutions to adopt flexible work-life policies, and encourage employees to take advantage of them. At AWIS, we have just begun a new initiative to study and identify best practices for workplace flexibility in academia. Tools for Change: A Project for Stepping Up Retention of Women in the Academic STEM Pipeline is a partnership between AWIS and Dr. Mary Ann Mason from the Center for Economics Family Security at UC Berkeley, as well as Dr. Joan C. Williams from the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Hastings. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE program, our study will provide a rigorous economic analysis on the cost of losing precious talent throughout the leaky STEM pipeline and the benefits of implementing flexible, family-responsive workplace practices.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
in order for an individual to be satisfied: IMO, this is the key phrase in the essay you post. It is very important to investigate what makes men women satisfied with re: differential apportionment of time energy to professional, family, and, if you wish, play activities. I would speculate that results would reflect clear sexual-dimorphism, *ceteris paribus*. BTW, a number of my colleagues combine play professional activities (e.g., attending conferences with family or partner @exotic or other locales of interest). Further, for many, science IS play; that's what creativity work IS at it's best, isn't it. Maybe some people do science because it's a single-minded passion not simply one of several vocations, roles, avocations, and the like. Are we to denigrate people who compose a satisfying life consistent w/their single-mindedness and preference for more-or-less uninterrupted focus on their scientific careers? On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 5:19 PM, Judith S. Weis jw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu wrote: This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific community’s lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researcher’s life…not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, “Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing.” She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. “In fact,” she notes, “I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains.” For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate “24/7 labs” where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the students and postdocs who work for them. Contrary to many who turned her down due to fear of being portrayed as “slave-drivers” Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa welcomed her into his lab, eager to show off his neurosurgery skills and devoted research team of tired students and postdocs. At first glance, it would seem that with 13 concurrent grants, 113 publications since 2005 and an h index of 27, compared with the average of 10.7 among his neuroscience colleagues, that the long hours Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa requires of himself and his team have paid off in spades. However, it all depends on how you measure success. Attending late-night lab meetings every Friday and working through all major holidays, some of the students in this lab cited not being able to see their families abroad for years. Furthermore, the PI himself admits to being an absentee father. He notes that while in residency at the University of California, San Francisco, his three young children thought he lived at the hospital, and effectively – he did – clocking 140 hours a week. Yet strangely, he seems to truly enjoy his career and life choices. This then begs the question of how to define work-life balance. Some have argued that this term is insufficient; rejecting the notion that any semblance of balance between work and family or personal life can reasonably by achieved in the throes of a research-oriented academic career. Instead, terms such as “work-life satisfaction” have emerged. This suggests that whatever ratio of work to personal time needs to be achieved in order for an individual to be satisfied is sufficient. But one has to wonder if Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa would even be able to choose his current work-life ratio without a spouse at home to take care of their three children? Because many women scientists don’t have the luxury of choosing between work and family, it is vitally important for academic institutions to adopt flexible work-life policies, and encourage employees to take advantage of them. At AWIS, we have just begun a new initiative to study and identify best practices for workplace flexibility in academia. Tools for Change: A Project for Stepping Up Retention of Women in the Academic STEM Pipeline is a partnership between AWIS and Dr. Mary Ann
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
Clara, What a wonderful analysis. I agree completely and fit your science is play model. Much of what I do end up being hybrid activities for fun, but also contribute to my professional/science/research endeavors. In fact, my problem - well, poor choice of words my situation may be that I combine them too often, and I have rather few if any non-science interests. In fact, another way to look at it might be: if you don't think science is fun, why are you in the field - especially in a pure research job and especially-especially an academic position? Those for whom science is just a job to pay the bills, they should consider 8-5 staff scientist or tech positions (and for undergrads with this sort of 8-5 interest in doing science, I would encourage them to look for work out of undergrad rather than going to grad school - in fact, one took this advice and sent me a thank-you email yesterday because she found a great tech job just last week!). :) Loving science so much tends to have made getting dates impossible since high school and may be why I am single at 33. but I may be on the way to fixing that - with someone who appreciates my love of science (and insects specifically) because we share both ;) Cheers! Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Curriculum_Vitae.pdf On 9/22/2011 8:47 PM, Clara B. Jones wrote: in order for an individual to be satisfied: IMO, this is the key phrase in the essay you post. It is very important to investigate what makes men women satisfied with re: differential apportionment of time energy to professional, family, and, if you wish, play activities. I would speculate that results would reflect clear sexual-dimorphism, *ceteris paribus*. BTW, a number of my colleagues combine play professional activities (e.g., attending conferences with family or partner @exotic or other locales of interest). Further, for many, science IS play; that's what creativity work IS at it's best, isn't it. Maybe some people do science because it's a single-minded passion not simply one of several vocations, roles, avocations, and the like. Are we to denigrate people who compose a satisfying life consistent w/their single-mindedness and preference for more-or-less uninterrupted focus on their scientific careers? On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 5:19 PM, Judith S. Weisjw...@andromeda.rutgers.edu wrote: This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific community’s lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researcher’s life…not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, “Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing.” She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. “In fact,” she notes, “I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains.” For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate “24/7 labs” where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the students and postdocs who work for them. Contrary to many who turned her down due to fear of being portrayed as “slave-drivers” Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa welcomed her into his lab, eager to show off his neurosurgery skills and devoted research team of tired students and postdocs. At first glance, it would seem that with 13 concurrent grants, 113 publications since 2005 and an h index of 27, compared with the average of 10.7 among his neuroscience colleagues, that the long hours Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa requires of himself and his team have paid off in spades. However, it all depends on how you measure success. Attending late-night lab meetings every Friday and working through all major holidays, some of the students in this lab cited not being able to see their families abroad for years. Furthermore, the PI himself admits to being an absentee father. He notes that while in residency at the University of
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Work/Life balance from AWIS in Action! September 2011
The last two paragraphs seem sexist to me, assuming that it's only women who are the home makers, and all women are home makers. The recommendations in the last paragraph seem discriminatory against unmarried people, and especially unmarried people with no children. At some point, I think the reality has to be recognized that one's family life is not the responsibility of one's employer. Let's say some special perks for married people, and then married people with kids, are instituted (they already kind of are, spousal hirings and such) where does it end? The needs of a single parent are tremendous compared to those of married parents. There is also a large difference in the needs for someone or a couple with one child versus 3, or 5, or 8 (sometimes all at once! :) )! Then there's differences in cultures and religions to consider. It seems like weaving a very complex web. However, maybe, just maybe everyone can be treated equally as an individual/professional and leave it at that? Aaron T. Dossey, Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Curriculum_Vitae.pdf On 9/22/2011 5:19 PM, Judith S. Weis wrote: This article from the AWIS newsletter is pertinent to recent discussions on this list. Work-Life Balance and Success in a Scientific Career Work-life balance in a rigorous academic career is slowly being adopted as part of the scientific community’s lexicon, although some resist its infiltration. Especially in a tough economic climate with a dwindling number of grants being awarded these days, it is of utmost importance for researchers to stay on top of their game and produce results. This often comes at the expense of personal and family obligations, let alone leisure activities. However, some have realized that leisure is an integral part of a researcher’s life…not only for work-life balance, but also for the betterment of ideas and scientific discovery. This month in Nature, Dr. Julie Overbaugh from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA argues, “Scientists should make time for play to complement their intense work, maintain creativity and keep the ideas flowing.” She acknowledges that while it is sometimes necessary to pull all-nighters in the name of pending deadlines, more hours in the lab does not equate to better results. “In fact,” she notes, “I have many of my best ideas while walking the dogs in the morning, riding my bike home from work or weekending in the mountains.” For Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa at Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, these types of activities are utterly incompatible with a serious career in cancer research. Heidi Ledford of Nature News recently decided to investigate “24/7 labs” where the number of hours logged is most crucial to success in the eyes of the PI, and she interviewed the students and postdocs who work for them. Contrary to many who turned her down due to fear of being portrayed as “slave-drivers” Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa welcomed her into his lab, eager to show off his neurosurgery skills and devoted research team of tired students and postdocs. At first glance, it would seem that with 13 concurrent grants, 113 publications since 2005 and an h index of 27, compared with the average of 10.7 among his neuroscience colleagues, that the long hours Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa requires of himself and his team have paid off in spades. However, it all depends on how you measure success. Attending late-night lab meetings every Friday and working through all major holidays, some of the students in this lab cited not being able to see their families abroad for years. Furthermore, the PI himself admits to being an absentee father. He notes that while in residency at the University of California, San Francisco, his three young children thought he lived at the hospital, and effectively – he did – clocking 140 hours a week. Yet strangely, he seems to truly enjoy his career and life choices. This then begs the question of how to define work-life balance. Some have argued that this term is insufficient; rejecting the notion that any semblance of balance between work and family or personal life can reasonably by achieved in the throes of a research-oriented academic career. Instead, terms such as “work-life satisfaction” have emerged. This suggests that whatever ratio of work to personal time needs to be achieved in order for an individual to be satisfied is sufficient. But one has to wonder if Dr. Quinones-Hinojosa would even be able to choose his current work-life ratio without a spouse at home to take care of their three children? Because many women scientists don’t have the luxury of choosing between work and family, it is vitally important for academic institutions to adopt flexible work-life policies, and encourage employees to take advantage of them. At AWIS, we have just begun a new initiative to study and identify best practices for workplace flexibility in academia. Tools for Change: A Project for
