I have been following the recent discussion about family and working
in science as a woman. First, a brief intro (in keeping with the trend)
I am Clara Fenger, a veterinarian who graduated from UC Davis in 1988. I
subsequently did an intenal medicine residency in large animal medicine
and an MS in exercise physiology at Ohio State University. Now I am
following the other trend, of going into a PhD program in a molecular
biology lab. Needless to say, each of these programs have taken a greater
toll on my free time, and I am not particularly young anymore. I, also,
would like to have children, get married, and also have a career. This
seems to be an unsurmountable task, (I am currently single, but seriously
involved), especially since I am 31 years old. The consensus from this network
is that even after completing the grueling PhD years, it continues to get
worse. Faculty members (at least here at University of Kentucky) appear to
have more time to spend with their families than I have free time. So, I'm
hoping to hear from someone who thinks that it is possible to start a family
at the assistant professor level.
