Universities urged to support parenthood among researchers

Motherhood too often seen as ‘incompatible’ with academic career, paper stresses

Academic parents—and mothers in particular—continue to lack support from their institutions, according to a paper from the League of European Research Universities.

“Motherhood is often seen as a barrier to success in academia in a way that fatherhood is not,” says the paper, which was published on 18 June. Its lead author is Adrienne Hopkins, head of equality and diversity at the University of Oxford in the UK.