GradPSYCH - January 2012 - (Page 40)
Dissertations
vs. diapers
For psychology graduate students and young professionals, there may never be a truly convenient time to start a family.
by MaTThEW sibLo ike many successful graduate students, Heather Armstrong is a planner. After enrolling in the clinical psychology PsyD program at the University of Indianapolis, she thought she was ready for the challenges that come with graduate school: an unpredictable schedule, mountains of assignments and long nights studying. But Armstrong didn’t account for one variable: an unplanned pregnancy during her first year. While excited by the thought of starting a family, she had to reassess her priorities at both school and home. “Having to let go of some control was difficult. I struggled transitioning into my new life,” she says. Her predicament is hardly unusual. New psychology doctorates are, on average, 32 when they finish school and in the midst of their childbearing years — or have partners who are in the midst of theirs. As a result, many students’ school and familial aspirations come in direct conflict. Like many students, Armstrong was concerned that having a baby could derail her doctoral study and subsequent career as a psychologist. Those worries are well founded, research suggests.
40 • gradPSYCH • January 2012
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Although student parents experience similar levels of academic support and research productivity compared with their childless peers, those with children under age 18 are more likely to leave their doctoral programs or take longer to complete their degrees, according to the 2006 book, “Three Magic Letters: Getting to PhD.” Financially speaking, grad school can also be a tough time to have children. Your research stipend probably isn’t big enough to feed a family. Adding to the burden: Just 13 percent of universities offer paid maternity leave to doctoral students and only 5 percent provide dependent health care for a student’s child, according to an October 2009 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Starting a family can also have ramifications that extend beyond graduation. Interruptions related to childrearing decrease female scientists’ lifetime salary and career productivity, says Diane Halpern, PhD, a former APA president and director of psychology at Claremont McKenna College. That’s in part why only 22 percent of all full professors are women, according to a report by Halpern published in American Psychologist (Vol. 60, No. 5). In addition, the Center for American Progress’s 2009 report Staying Competitive: Patching America’s Leaky Pipeline in
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GradPSYCH - January 2012
GradPSYCH - January 2012
Contents
Psychology grad school enrollment drops, despite record numbers of applicants
Students leave their iPods at home during ‘crunch time’
Media Picks
Chair’s Corner
Odd Jobs
Research Roundup
Hot careers: Video game design and development
Friends and co-workers
Time to bail?
Scaling Mount Publication
Need to heal thyself?
Staying connected
Matters to a Degree
Power up your PowerPoint
Dissertations vs. diapers
Searching for answers
Bulletin Board
Jobs, internships, postdocs and other opportunities
The Back Page
GradPSYCH - January 2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/gradpsych_201109
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