2009 Grace Hopper Bof Pregnancy And Graduate School

Baby Loading, Please Wait: Pregnancy, Graduate School, & Computing Laurian Vega, Mara Silva Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Virginia Tech 2202 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060 {Laurian, Mara}@vt.edu be a beneficial time. After all, not only is a biological clock ticking, but as reported by Mason and Goulden, “only one in three women who takes a fast-track university job before having a child ever becomes a mother” [5]. Having a child before having to apply for tenure, can be a positive time overall to start a family. After all, a mother can add an additional semester to her graduation date, but not all universities have a program to stop-the-clock. We recognize and acknowledge that there are pros and cons for having a child during graduate school; many people feel strongly that having a child after the tenure is the best time. However, for some would-be mothers, waiting is not an option.

ABSTRACT

Past research has shown that babies do matter in terms of time to graduate and future careers in academia and industry. Not only does bias play a part, but also having to deal with new responsibilities on top of work-life balance presents an entirely new set of challenges in the generally laissez faire climate of graduate school. In this panel we hope to address questions and provoke thoughtful discussion about a) whether graduate school is a ‘good’ time to become pregnant, and b) what should future graduate student mothers know before and after becoming pregnant? Our goal is to create a semi-informal discussion about these issues and raise awareness about best practices.

There appears to be a large interest in this topic at the Grace Hopper Conference. Via personal correspondence with Gilda Garreton, who presented a BoF at the 2009 Grace Hopper on maternity and returning to work, Gilda reported that her panel on a similar topic had more than forty attendants. She writes, “The majority of them were students not knowing if maternity could be an obstacle during grad studies and the discussion was great. Actually we were kicked out of the room because we ran out of time.”

BACKGROUND

Women are currently receiving about half of all awarded Ph.D.s [1]. The number of women reported receiving their Ph.D. in computer science, however, is twenty-one percent [2]. Part of the reason why this number is so low is the leaky pipeline: the challenge of retaining women who move through the educational pipeline from high school to undergraduate to graduate education and then to a career in computing. Somewhere along the way, women seem to be leaking out of the area of computing and taking with them thousands of study hours that are usually funded by state and federal taxes. Even with the increasing push for more women in science and engineering from the NSF (e.g., [3]) and other government organizations, people have ignored the “elephant in the room” – motherhood [4].

PLAN OF ACTION

For this panel we would like to have one moderator and up to five panelists. Brief biographies of proposed panelists and their experiences as a mother in graduate school are below. The panelists were selected to provide a broad range of experiences and background ranging from a brand new mother, who can provide very current lay-of-the-land experience, to a mother many years out of graduate school, who can put in perspective how this topic has changed. Additionally, at least one of our panel members would have had a child both in graduate school and another child out of graduate school.

One of the major reasons why women leave is work and family balance–, as reported by 7 out of 10 women in a 450 person survey [2]. Part of work-life balance is trying to plan a family. It can appear as though a woman has to choose between having a family and having a career within higher education. Indeed, it can seem daunting to think about years in graduate school with a small salary, long hours in the lab, and the rigors of publish or perish while trying to balance pregnancy, a new born infant, and then early motherhood. Even in post-1970’s women’s right movement, women still are found to be the ones doing the majority of home management, thereby taking hours away from busy academic careers [4].

In the first part of the panel we want to introduce each of the panelists and their experiences (2 minute per panelist). We will then give a brief presentation on why this issue is important, as covered in the previous section of this proposal (8 minutes). Next we will open the floor to questions from the audience, to allow them to ask questions that specifically address their personal needs. If necessary, the moderation will also have questions to panelist members, to ensure that most for the important topics are discussed. The total time will be one hour.

In this panel we hope to address these concerns by looking at the issue of pregnancy while enrolled graduate school. For some, having a baby in graduate school might actually 1

As additional material, we will provide a handout with citations to literature on the topic and a list of questions for possible new mothers to consider themselves.

Computer Science from Hunter College, and a MS in Information Systems from Pace University. In addition, she is the mother of three children ages 4, 12, and 16.

OUTCOME

Deborah Tatar, Ph.D., Panel Member

After this panel is over we would like the audience to leave with the knowledge that pregnancy in graduate school does have hurdles, but that it also has benefits. Weighing the pros and cons of pregnancy in graduate school is our central goal. Additionally, while there are no ‘right’ answers to those questions posed below, creating a voice for this topic can raise awareness and provide promise to future mothers.

Deborah Tatar (Ph.D. Stanford, Psychology) is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Computer Science and Psychology at Virginia Tech. She is also a member of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction and an associate of the Women and Gender Studies program. She has been a denizen of the halls of Harvard, M.I.T., Digital Equipment Corporation, Xerox PARC, Stanford, and SRI International. While in graduate school, she and her husband had two sons, who are now 16 and 13 years old.

The following are questions used to stimulate conversation: • • • • • • • • •

Does having a child add time to how long it takes to graduate? When should one talk to an advisor or committee members about plans for a family? Is there a ‘best’ time to be pregnant while receiving an advance degree? What are some best practices about pregnancy and graduate school? How can work change after having a child or children? Do career outlooks change after having a child? What resources should one ask about (e.g., childcare, lactation rooms, etc.)? Are there any differences in pregnancy experience during graduate school versus post-graduate school? Do pregnancy strain existing relationships between you and colleagues, friends, or a spouse? (Final question) What is one piece of advice you would give about having a child in graduate school?

Mara Silva, Panel Member

Mara is a PhD candidate in Computer Science at Virginia Tech after working in Brazil. She researches body-based interaction techniques for desktop games. Mara received a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from UNICAMP, Brazil in 2000. Mara is a member of Latinas in Computing, The Association for Women in Computing, and Systers. Her first child is expected to arrive in a few weeks (April 2009). Other panelists

We are in the process of inviting and confirming the participation of two other members for this panel. Both invited panelists had at least one child while a graduate student, and other child before or after her graduate studies. We are sure that their experiences will bring richness to the discussions on this panel.

BIOGRAPHIES

REFERENCES

Laurian Vega, Moderator

1. Williams, J.C. and D.L. Norton, Building Acaemic Excellence through Gender Equity. American Academic, 2008. 4. 2. Rosser, S.V. and M.Z. Taylor (2008) Expanding Women's Participation in US Science. Harvard International Review 30. 3. ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE). 2008 [cited 2008 February 24th, 2009]; Available from: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=53 83. 4. Monosson, E., ed. Motherhood, The Elephant in the Laboratory. 1 ed. 2008, Cornell University Press: Cornell University. 219. 5. Mason, M.A. and M. Goulden, Do Babies Matter (Part II)? Closing the Baby Gap. Academe, 2004(NovemberDecember).

Laurian is a Ph.D. candidate in Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech and mummy of semi-planned Cameron (7 months). She researches trust in the design of software, and is a member of the Association for Women in Computing and Systers. She is now working full time with Cameron in daycare. Mirkeya Capellan, Panel Member

Mirkeya is a DPS candidate in Professional Studies in Computing at Pace University, an adjunct professor at Pace’s Technology Systems Department, and a fulltime IT Senior Consultant at Sogeti USA. She specializes in Internet development, graphic design, and quality assurance testing. She is a member of several professional associations/groups like Systers, WomenTech, Latinas in Computing, Load & Performance Testing, and others. She has an AA in Liberal Arts from Hostos C. College, a BA in