Abstract of "Germany: The Backbreaking Work of Scientist-Homemakers"
Author(s):
Peter Aldhous
The core of Germany's attitude towards working women, says
cell biologist Mary Osborn, "can be summed up in three words of
an old German slogan: Kinder, Kirche, Kuche (children, church,
kitchen)."
German society is not structured to accommodate working
women very well. A pervasive message from the media is that
children in day care will suffer. As a result, day care is not
widely available even for those with generous salaries. Stores
are open only during the working day, making it nearly
impossible for working women to shop. Most schools have only
morning hours, again restricting the flexibility of families'
schedules where both parents work. Women with scientific
careers are further hampered by "an entrenched network of
established male scientists who tend to hire other men."
As a result, the former West Germany's senior faculty for
the five main science disciplines -- biology, physics,
chemistry, math, and the geosciences -- contains a mere 2%
women. The former East Germany had higher participation rates
until the unification, and now western-style hours (9:00 a.m.
to 5:30 p.m. or alter) cut into precious family time in the
evening. Furthermore, as the East German academic system is
restructured, newcomers to the fields of science and
engineering are often male West Germans, and women are fighting
harder to keep their jobs in the face of down-sizing.
The Double Bind
Aldhous writes that among more than
twenty female researchers interviewed for this article, most
agreed that the chief problem for women in science in Germany
is the societal pressure on mothers to devote their time to
caring for the children. This intense pressure is compounded
because the male-dominated establishment is reluctant to make
allowances for women with young children, making it difficult
for them to keep up with the 12-hour days and weekend work that
are the norm in many German labs. This puts women in a double
bind, damned by society if they don't devote the majority of
their time to their families, and penalized if they do --
because their resumes aren't as extensive as those of male
colleagues.
One manifestation of the intense pressure that children
place on a woman's career is reflected in the experience of a
university professor who was advising biology graduate
students. Some of these students were considering having
abortions because of the five-year time limitation for their
graduate study.
The educational timeline also works to women's disadvantage.
Most students obtain their Ph.D.s after age 30, leaving women
little time to establish their scientific career and begin
raising a family. Women who cannot find day care may be
fortunate in receiving support from family members who help to
look after their children. Most research centers do not have
day care centers, although a few women have invested huge
amounts of time and energy to initiate day care centers at
their labs.
There are very few women in the elite Max Planck Society
(MPS). Aldhous informs us that among more than 200 researchers
holding the position of Max Planck Director--a grade roughly
equivalent to a university professor but carrying with it
generous funding to run a research group--there are only two
women." Some cite bias inherent in the Method of selection for
new MPS Directors. No open application process is available.
MPS Directors are appointed by a system in which current
Directors suggest potential future Directors. MPS Directors
almost always suggest other men.
Stopping the Female Exodus
Many women leave academia
during doctoral programs or after receiving their Ph.D. to
retrain for an industry job that may not involve such grueling
hours. Some institutions are beginning to recognize the flood
of female talent leaving academic research. The Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinshaft (DFG), Germany's main research council,
now awards to part-time fellowship applicants with young
children who are searching for post-Ph.D. qualification posts.
The fellowship includes an allowance of up to DM500 (about
$290) a month for child care. And in 1993, the MPS agreed to
alter its process of selecting future Directors. The future
process will include asking non-MPS scientists to suggest
candidates, especially female candidates.
Easing the Way Back In
Germany is beginning some
promising work towards the future. New women science ministers,
responsible for overseeing university-based research and
reserving the final say in faculty appointments, have been
appointed in several states. In 1991, the federal government
initiated the new HSPII program to tune up the German higher
education system. Improving women's participation in science is
one of HSPII's goals; with funds earmarked for fellowships with
child-care allowances, as well as specific grants for women
scientists who are interrupting their careers--including
"contact stipends" to pay for journals and conference fees and
"re-entry stipends" to lure women back to the lab.
Many women are encouraged by these developments but believe
that "German labs will become a friendly environment for female
researchers only when the current older generation of
ultraconservative professors, who subscribe to the 'Kinder,
Kirche, Kuche'" philosophy, are replaced by men who know
professional women, and their needs, close-up.
Peter Aldhous
"Germany: The Backbreaking Work of Scientist-Homemakers"
Science
(March 11, 1994):
1475-1480