gender and ease of getting job

[Barbara Lewis]

In article <94252.081721KXN4 at psuvm.psu.edu>, K. Nelson <KXN4 at psuvm.psu.edu>
wrote:
> 
> Well...I didn't think childbirth was that excruciating.  But that's another
> thread in another group.  Being pregnant and interviewing, hmm...wonder what
> that does for your chances of getting a job.  Any success stories?
> Kim Nelson
> Penn State Univ.
> Inst. Mol. Evol. Genetics

Actually, I know of several women who have received good academic job
offers while visibly pregnant - at least one each in Chemistry at Harvard
several years ago, and in Chemistry here at Wisconsin. Also good offers
from biotech type
companies. I think it's almost a good "litmus test" for the kind of
department in which you would probably be happy. In both Chemistry cases,
the woman took the offer and arranged to be a postdoc for another semester
or year before starting the tenure-track job - a good way to give oneself a
few months of somewhat less stressful time after the birth.



Barb Lewis
e-mail: barb at nmrfam.wisc.edu - My own opinions, of course