Ten simple rules for a mom-friendly Academia

Abstract

[eng] Women (and all gender-discriminated people) are underrepresented in science, especiallyin leadership positions and higher stages of the scientific career. One of the main causes ofcareer abandonment by women is maternity, with many women leaving Academia after havingtheir first child because of the career penalties associated with motherhood. Thus, moreactions to help scientific moms to balance family and academic work are urgently needed toincrease representation of women and other gender discriminated people in Academia.Besides mothers, these rules may also benefit other groups such as mothers-to-be, fathers,caregivers, and women in general. Increasing women representation in science, includingmothers, is critical because equality is a fundamental right, and because more diverse workingenvironments are more productive and get to more optimal solutions. Here, we describe10 simple rules that can be adopted in Academia to halt the abandonment of scientificcareers by women after motherhood. We strongly encourage their implementation toincrease gender diversity and equality in science.