Women in sciences at UT
The Daily Texan reports that the US Education Department will investigate some colleges around the country to make sure they're doing what they can to protect and promote women in science.
It's good to know that UT has made some progress on being woman- and family-friendly:
In the past, women on the six-year tenure track experienced difficulties if they planned to have children, [microbiology and immunology professor Dr. Jacquelin] Dudley said."When I came through the system, there was not even a delay in the tenure decision, now they can take a year off of the tenure clock. I only took off three weeks for my first child and 10 days for my second," Dudley said.
Faculty Modified Instructional Duties is a policy established last fall that allows faculty who are primary caregivers to take a semester off if they find it necessary.
UT also has support programs for Women in Engineering, Women in Computer Sciences, and Women in Natural Sciences. We're often behind other schools in adopting women-friendly policies and providing good resources - did you catch that the primary caregiver time off policy was only implemented last year?! But if a massive, patriarchal, bureaucratic institution like UT can come around, it gives me hope.