OPEN LETTER TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY: HOW TO INCLUDE MOTHERS IN SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

The scientific community has been discussing important topics such as social inclusion, race and gender issues, and feminism. We would like to add to the conversation by discussing a theme that we hold very dear: motherhood – and, more specifically, the participation of mothers in conferences and scientific events. It is difficult to explain, understand and think about what mothers should do to participate in scientific gatherings. It is also difficult for us, mothers, to find time to tell others what those needs are, but we must speak! In this letter, we will present a few demands, that are straightforward compared to the complexity of planning a scientific meeting. However, these demandscan help welcome mothers’ participation in the community.

Motherhood has significant impact on women’s professional lives. In our culture, the tasks involved in caring for a child are still perceived as essentially female: the behavioral cost is mostly paid by women. This responsibility gap is so relevant that the wage gap between men and women is largely explained by women’s wage lossafter maternity (Chung, Downs, Sandler, & Sienkiewicz, 2017; Grimshaw & Rubery, 2015). It is not uncommon to hear from employers that a certain difference in salary is “fair” due to the fact that women get pregnant. Additionally, data published by Getúlio Vargas Foundation (Machado, Neri, & Pinho Neto, 2017) show that two years after maternity leave, half of Brazilian women had left the job market. Most of them had been fired without proper justification upon returning from leave. The same numbers are not observed when we look at men who have become fathers.

Sadly, this is also a reality in the scientific community. Being a mother complicates nearly everything in a woman’s life, and it takes a great effort for a mother to be able to continue to navigate the same professional spaces. Congresses and events in our communities are important opportunities for professional growth. And yet, how many of us mothers fell unable to attending those events and bringing children together? Many of the difficulties we face are not inherent to motherhood per se, but to the lack of concern from organizers about the including of mothers as participants. Including mothers requires the acceptance and inclusion of their children as well. Babies who are breastfed cannot stay away from their mothers for very long. Single mothers, lacking support networks, have an even harder time being separated from their children. Therefore, excluding children means excluding women.

We need the community to be tolerant and welcoming instead of judgmental. An appropriate space allows men to take their children as well, sharing responsibilities. So, what is it that we need in order to feel included in scientific meeting? The simplest action to be taken is to fully communicate to the community that children will be welcome in the event and make sure to provide all the moral necessary support by institutionallyprotecting women from intimidating looks and excluding actions that are so reinforced in our culture. That means that staff, lecturers and attendants should be aware that children will be present and that their presence will not be a problem. We will also need the community to be tolerant as to the unpredictability of a child. We need tolerance to comfort crying babies, to leave the room in the middle of an ongoing lecture, and to return once the child is settled.

There are still other actions that may be taken by the event’s planners; some are quite simple and others that require further planning and resources. We have categorized these actions into two lists. The first include actions that provide basic requirements (without which mothers’ participation in the event would be very difficult), and in the second one are those that provide ideal conditions.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

· Babies and children must be allowed in the seminar rooms;

· A lactation or nursing room (preferably in a female-only space);

· A cushioned diaper changing pad;

· Access to companions (either an employee or family member) for all the spaces, without additional cost;

· Breastfeeding allowed at all spaces;

· Clear guidelines, before the event, as to what the available structure will be.

IDEAL REQUIREMENTS:

· Day care facility with foam mats and monitors;

· Access to a kitchen with a microwave;

· Access to a clean sink for washing breast pumps and baby utensils;

· Access to a refrigerator or mini-bar for keeping breast milk or baby food;

· Rooms with cribs at the event’s hotel or partnerships with nearby hotels that provide cribs.

· Rooms with mini-bar in the event’s hotel or partnerships with nearby hotels that provide rooms with mini-bar for storage of baby food.

We request that everyone involved in the scientific community keep mothers in mind when planning events, conferences and lectures and therefore, think about how children could be accommodated. When it is not possible to provide a dedicated space, a socially inclusive environment is all we ask for. We also request that all events inform beforehand if they are baby friendly or not and what the available structure will be. It is important to remember that measures to include mothers have been successfully taken by the 2017-2018 board of Associação Brasileira de Psicoterapia e Medicina Comportamental – ABPMC (Brazilian Association of Behavioral Psychotherapy and Medicine). Thanks to that board, mothers were allowed to attend the association’s congress with their children as well as discuss the particularities of life with children, which resulted in fruitful debates about motherhood and career. This example proves that we are asking for something feasible.

If you agree with our proposal, help spread the word! Share and tell us your experience as a working mother navigating professional spaces using #maestambemexistem 

Kind Regards,

Dra. Ana Martins Torres Bernardes, Jorge and Carlos’s mother

Dra. Fernanda Libardi, Cecilia’s mother

MSc. Izadora Ribeiro Perkoski, no children

Dra. Liane Dahás, no children, prefers to be an aunt for all these kids

MSc. Luana Flor T. Hamilton, João and Beatriz’s mother

Dra. Tauane Paula Gehm, Emanuel’s mother

(This letter was originally addressed to the Brazilian community of Behavioral Analysts. After being requested to expand its target audience, the authors have decided to adapt its content to the scientific community as a whole, considering that the issues brought up in this publication are relevant to all academic and scientific contexts. The original letter can be read at: https://observatoriocajuin.wixsite.com/cajuina/blog/escreva-seu-blog-pelo-desktop-e-pelo-mobile)

TOTAL OR PARTIAL REPRODUCTION OF THIS TEXT BY ANY MEANS, CONVENTIONAL OR ELETROCNIC, IS ALLOWED PROVIDED THAT PROPER CREDIT IS GIVEN.

References:

Grimshaw, D. & Rubery, J. (2015). The motherhood pay gap: a review of the issues, theory and international evidence. Conditions of Work and Employment Series,57, 1-65. Geneva: ILO.

Chung, Y., Downs, B., Sandler, D. H.; & Sienkiewicz, R. (2017). The Parental Gender Earnings Gap in the United States. Tech. rep., U.S: Census Bureau Working Paper(CES 17-68).

Machado, C., Neri, M. C., & Pinho Neto, V. R. (2017). Educação, ciclo de vida e desigualdade de gênero no mercado de trabalho formal brasileiro. Online publication by Getúlio Vargas Foundation. Accessed July 24 2019 at http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/bitstream/handle/10438/23976/Educação%2c%20ciclo%20de%20vida%20e%20desigualdade%20de%20gênero%20no%20mercado%20de%20trabalho%20formal%20brasileiro.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y