Academia and children - How to balance a career and raising children?

Show notes

What does it mean to have an important job and at the same time have a child or as in Elisa's case even two or more children. How do you manage to get two full-time jobs into a 7-day week, so to speak, and what's fun about it?

Elisa tells us something about her job as a scientist at the University of Leipzig and her experience of combining it with being a mother.

She gives us insights into her world and tells us what she wishes should go better.

Have fun listening! Feel free to give us your feedback and tell us about your experience with your children's development.

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Show transcript

00:00:00: Music.

00:00:07: Hello and welcome to the next episode of the children and books podcast today we have the wonderful guess it's a Lisa and a mother and I'm really happy that all guys are here Rachel.

00:00:22: Hello hello from lifetaker Lisa I'm very happy that you are today our best that we that you found the time it was not too easy we tried it but today we are and I'm very happy because it's University we are working

00:00:39: together interior but today we are talking about another point.

00:00:46: Yeah thanks for having me here I'm very glad it finally worked out and I'm looking forward to our conversation and hello to Rachel play happy that you are with us today

00:01:00: it's a very fine feeling very confident feeling to have you with us

00:01:06: oh yes of course because I wasn't here for the last recording but yeah hello everybody and it's the sun is shining in Scotland today but it's still quite cold

00:01:17: that's good and I guess you touched on the on the topic just in terms of how how difficult is being to get time to meet.

00:01:27: It's that that whole issue of finding time to do things when you're a busy working mother.

00:01:35: And how are you and have juggle those priorities.

00:01:41: Then maybe I'll either you like to introduce a little bit who are you

00:01:47: for our listeners of course study history of

00:01:59: Russian studies and literature studies in.

00:02:09: Did my PC on the topic of history I'm working on the Kosovo intervention and 1989 and now I am working as

00:02:23: postdoc Canada and a lecturer at university.

00:02:27: History and children 7 and 2 years old and.

00:02:38: Came into our lives or in the

00:02:43: breaking point also in academic trajectory so my daughter was born when I just finished my masters and

00:02:52: struggling how to continue my career so I was born

00:03:07: 4 weeks after the offence of my dissertation before I started my post.

00:03:15: Yes I remember when you see it you because we were working in the time together and you'll never had just a lot of time a whole year only for the children or something

00:03:28: what was the time there was a pressure to go on with the working process.

00:03:32: Yeah even though and I think this is something very Common

00:03:41: can leave can go on maternity leave or parental leave and I think in a German system

00:03:49: generous so you can leave you have a paid leave actually for 12 months which is a great thing but still if you are voting academia.

00:03:59: Kind of never stop I still have your working for Jack's and your things to finish so when my son

00:04:07: to be published

00:04:12: but still it was just having more time

00:04:20: the child was asleep so there was not the the pressure of you and University of course you have all the teaching and all the students going on

00:04:36: so it was a good time but I was always the pressure to

00:04:48: yes I imagine that academic life can be very pressured as he say but also quite competitive and and I'm just wondering how you you know how you cope with that.

00:05:03: And also you know planning both practically but also

00:05:09: an emotional aspect to it as well as you saying because you know obviously the emotional connection to to our children this is huge

00:05:18: but also then there's an emotional connection to your students who you want to support and season through their career so far

00:05:27: it just be interesting to hear how you are you navigated that.

00:05:33: Yeah this is very good point and I think 4 for the the emotional part 2 I think academia is of course it's very competitive and it's 4 people so I would say maybe the.

00:05:47: For parents somehow it's more difficult but awesome because of course it's hard not to have.

00:05:57: Not too but if you don't have your car plan your future if you have a contract which is expiring next year and you know you have children and you need to support them so this is really really.

00:06:10: Parents that could give me a.

00:06:12: The 7 point because they decide to do something which is small save for the future for the kids and academia is.

00:06:22: It's never save

00:06:34: difficult and challenging emotionally but on the other hand so it's the same.

00:06:39: Same problem for for letting people in children also something

00:06:44: gives you a lot of strength and which gives you a lot of emotional

00:06:49: and also like an old time from academia and we were talking about this earlier so when I didn't show that my wasn't my office working sometimes.

00:07:01: Night shifts and having children meant to have breaks for me because childcare

00:07:09: at 16 and then I have to be at the kinnegad hang out of the playground

00:07:20: mental health academia and so both sides I would say

00:07:28: text giving you a bit more of a healthy balance would you say

00:07:33: absolutely absolutely and how how do you think it's different for women in academia.

00:07:41: I think it's

00:07:43: different for women because still women do most of the care work so we know it is basically all studies so leave for the parental leave for

00:07:54: 10 - 10 month for two months and so this.

00:08:00: Care work is not always in the fill in the beginning when the child has small but discontinuous and I think you know this term of the mental load which is still very much connected

00:08:12: due to two women soul I think of what the children need for school trip and you do have a lot of this thing

00:08:20: and at the same time having as I said to care for the students and for your academic year we are so this is just a lot of pressure and.

00:08:31: A lot of.

00:08:34: Women of course you have this bottle of body parts so you women and the one being pregnant then pregnancy can be very easy as it was for me

00:08:46: I could work all the time at 4 it wasn't it easy and if you have a newborn baby is some baby sleep all the time as it was with my youngest

00:08:59: who sang things besides that with my other daughter she wasn't so tired and exhausted and so I think for woman in is he still more challenging

00:09:16: mentally and bodily and are physically and also.

00:09:22: Yeah still I think it before for parents do this kind of safety features where are important thing

00:09:29: do you know that you can be secure the future of your children and as I said if you know your contract is expiring at some point you decide if you want to continue with academia.

00:09:44: Do a different job which secures your your your your

00:09:50: the future of your child and not.

00:09:56: Try to be in this academic game for like 20 years and see it doesn't work out at the end

00:10:03: and I just see that woman more option not to decide not to do this Gambler if it will work out

00:10:12: where do you get help from to have some heating there are things which are helping you when you're on your way where you are now with children and your work.

00:10:21: Secret crush on sorry I think.

00:10:27: My family of course my partner so is also so we have to say but we also agreed on really equally share or the.

00:10:40: This is also something I see you.

00:10:46: Friends and colleagues that the partner is involved in a different job at somehow easy it's difficult to accept

00:10:55: the circumstances of academia and Industry specific challenges so I think this is something aware we both getting a lot of strength from so that we did

00:11:06: and also very important for me yeah actually just founded on

00:11:21: network now called motherhood and and now we found and so we meet and talk

00:11:36: things that are important to us and try to support each other I tried to to change an order to make it easier for a person.

00:11:50: I think this is something which makes me very good you're not alone with the things yeah that sounds great it's I think it's really important

00:12:02: for you know for women who find themselves in in this kind of positions to the kind of trailblazing away

00:12:10: to to to to make those kind of structural changes that you're talking about and do you find.

00:12:17: The institution that you working how supportive for they.

00:12:24: 22 parents you know equally both mothers and fathers I think they're still.

00:12:33: Alright to do and this is the good idea they're so.

00:12:43: It's pretty clear wood steps to take in order to make academia and PL4 for everyone just preparing for people

00:12:55: different social backgrounds with different language backgrounds of challenges in order to to make a senior and inclusive place

00:13:05: but still structurally it's not implemented so they want of guidelines saying this would be good thing to do but it's not like.

00:13:14: Finding so I think for me it would be much more easier for example if we can all agree on timeframes of working so the weekend and even

00:13:29: academia

00:13:31: and sometimes it just like Dad it's ok but if there needs to be like.

00:13:40: Organising child care and paying child can order to drop my job and just feels strange to me and

00:13:50: is like that because still lol of.

00:13:54: Organising most children

00:14:07: not in the end I think it's not because they don't care mostly they don't know about the struggles and I think it is also very

00:14:16: just to speak out and say this

00:14:19: doesn't really stressful for me to organise this meeting a different time and I think it says to watch it with the higher accusing academia because.

00:14:29: Depend on the next contract

00:14:33: murder women they don't dare to speak out and then they just accepted thanks and instead of just.

00:14:43: Asking for a change

00:14:47: yeah I don't think one excuse me one point I remember what you said in our drum and podcasts very important for me it would be so good if she would be rules

00:14:56: when parents are the teachers in lesson sort university or if they need to be somewhere that it is finish at 3.

00:15:06: It would be ok there can be other things to 3 and then they go to pick up their children

00:15:14: it would be nice but it's of course you are not always easy to organise and I think if it's not.

00:15:26: Possible to organise at least I need to be like structured

00:15:30: how to do a so just to provide of course it costs needs to be nothing as long as it's people agree on the system and someone shows that it doesn't change

00:15:52: what did you like to say I forgot

00:15:57: it's a sentence we got the type of God that I guess.

00:16:07: I can't remember but it was I just record the recognition really of how much parents.

00:16:18: Invest both in their careers and in their children and that.

00:16:25: The cost of childcare is it's huge and it's a really it's a massive dilemma I think

00:16:33: people.

00:16:35: And but having a career is just so important for one's identity their sense of purpose in the world and to be able to be a good role model to their children so it feels the two.

00:16:49: Have to be Tim biotic to go hand in hand.

00:16:54: And them and we just have to work out ways in which we can make it easier for both sides.

00:17:02: Yeah I absolutely agree in this but I don't think it's.

00:17:10: I think it's important as we do here to speak about these things and then 280 issue but also I think it's not just about thinking how we can change it.

00:17:21: Christensen the Walsh structural changes

00:17:28: is possible you can Scandinavia so it's just want to do it because.

00:17:39: I think it's also the value placed on children but it would be maybe two topics thank you thank you thank you have been our guest today thank you Rachel

00:17:54: for your helping and that you are here as thank you.

00:18:03: Music.

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