nutty professors
by rantywoman
A long time ago on this blog I wrote about the fact that too many women who expound upon the joys of working are either freelance writers or university professors, with the latter possibly holding the last desirable job around.
A friend of mine is married to a professor and, having just had a baby, is now agreeing with me about this. Her husband stays home with the baby several days a week and has lengthy breaks from work. She, who works at one of the most liberal institutions in the country, has thus far not been allowed to work from home one day a week, and she must schlep to another building, quite a distance away, to pump breast milk.
It infuriates me when people in the media (mostly old men and some wealthy wives) promote motherhood without addressing these issues (not blaming the profs for that one, as they at least might recognize them).
In other news, a co-worker of mine, a couple of rungs above me, confessed to me recently that her job is continually stressful and she developed an autoimmune disorder herself a few years ago.
With all this plus my health insurance problems, I do have to laugh that we still think of ourselves as the “land of the free.” I’ve never felt less free in my life.
thebitterbabe 
i recognized this a while back, and that’s why i’m killing myself for little pay to get a phd and get into the ranks of professors.
although, the “when” question is a big deal for women. I have seen the “stable” married grad student girls I know have kids during their doctorate – which really is the best time. once you hit professor it is still hard.
for grad students there is a not a single sick day or maternity leave policy in place – there is just a wishy-washy agreement that you might have with an advisor. if you don’t get along with your advisor, you might lose your stipend, and in turn your health insurance if you have it.
Wow. It’s all such a mess, isn’t it? The media mouthpieces who are encouraging women to breed need to look at those policies first.