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Addressing the experiences of mothers in academia-a call for structural and cultural change

Devanshi Agarwal1, Sonya E Neal1,2

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

FEBS Letters
|January 2, 2026
PubMed

Parenthood has been linked to lower retention of women in academia, yet the specific challenges faced by mothers remain underexplored. We interviewed nine mothers across different career stages in the life sciences to qualitatively examine how motherhood intersects with academic milestones. Participants described challenges unique to academia, including dependence on supervisors, publication pressure, financial strain, and limited awareness of available institutional resources. They also shared strategies that supported their success, such as transparent communication with supervisors, designating student-parent coordinators, and creating peer communities for mothers in academia. By highlighting shared barriers and effective solutions, this work underscores the need for structural and cultural reforms to better support mothers in academia and retain talented scientists in STEM fields.

Keywords:
STEMbarriers in academiacommunityequitymotherswomen in science

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