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  • Mathematicians Navigating Parenthood: Lessons Learned, Methodologies, and Useful Solutions That Were Beneficial During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Title: Mathematicians Navigating Parenthood: Lessons Learned, Methodologies, and Useful Solutions That Were Beneficial During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Navigating a career as a mathematician in academia, industry, or a national lab was challenging for many families with children before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the pandemic hit and the situation was exacerbated. Parents and parents-to-be were tested and challenged in ways unanticipated, with time for parental duties clashing with time for research, teaching, and service, leaving those wishing to be parents contemplating the feasibility of this balancing act of parenthood and work-life in a COVID-19 era and beyond. Many members in our mathematics community experienced these challenges first hand and persevered. Lessons were learned and different methodologies employed as many reimagined what work-life and home-life balance looked like. These lessons and methodologies can be useful in our future endeavors as parent-educators and researchers, and if shared can benefit others who are in parenthood or on the path to parenthood, as they seek to create a better harmony between work and home life. Thus, this article explores and showcases some of the discussions that ensued during a 2022 Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) Professional Development Workshop Mathematicians Navigating Parenthood organized by the authors. The article collects key discussion points and lessons learned, putting together useful solutions and resources, as well as unresolved questions. We report on strategies to help parents and parents-to-be succeed as well as present proposals on what departments could implement based on their individual policies to provide a welcoming environment to colleagues with, or expecting, children.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1815750
PAR ID:
10391139
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Notices of the American Mathematical Society
Volume:
69
Issue:
11
ISSN:
0002-9920
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1918-1922
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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