National Science Foundation's New Rules Make It Easier For Moms To Be Scientists; Michelle Obama Approves

WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama and top officials in her husband's administration are embracing new rules designed to make it easier for scientists – especially women – to balance work and family.

"You shouldn't be penalized or lose a chance to advance in your career because you are taking care of a new child, or a mom or dad who has gotten sick," Mrs. Obama said Monday at an East Room announcement.

The new rules drafted by the National Science Foundation would let both men and women delay or suspend research grants for up to a year to tend to urgent family needs. Other steps include electronic – rather than in-person – reviews for grant proposals and increased flexibility in tenure decisions and the hiring of replacements.

The first lady said too often, women pursuing science or technology careers have to compromise or give up on them entirely because of the demands of family.

"If we take some practical, common-sense steps, we can keep these women in the (science and math) pipeline where we so desperately need them," she said.

Tina Tchen, who heads the White House Council on Women and Girls, says the new rules will boost the percentage of women in science and engineering, which she calls "the smart thing to do for America's future and the economy."

Comments

[Vanessa1129]

10:15 AM on 10/03/2011

Kudos for First Lady!

[Don Stalvino]

07:07 PM on 09/28/2011

Is Mrs. Obama the new Science Czar?

[Darcman]

03:29 PM on 09/27/2011

Someone should email this article to Ron Suskind!

[jojojo]

12:26 PM on 09/27/2011

That's great!

I eagerly await the rules to help men become teachers nurses, and college grads. Men are "behind " in college degrees, boys are behind in public school.

Where are the programs--and the WH support--to help males catch up, as happened--rightly--for females when they were "behind in school"?

[theveggiedude]

01:59 PM on 09/27/2011

The aid for females was to compensate for the social handicap. There is no such thing for males - they are born and raised expected to go to college to become professionals. Well, at least the white ones are. :P
It's still heavily in favor of males, who are less likely to have their college sports dropped than the female ones, thus having a leg up in scholarships where sports are concerned.

[jojojo]

04:29 PM on 09/27/2011

If men "are born and raised expected to go to college to become profession­als", and they're going in fewer and fewer numbers, and at a lower and lower ratio to women, then there's something serious;y wrong with the way they're being educated in public schools, where boys are also falling farther and farther behind. If the genders were reversed--in fact when the were reversed some years ago, girls were given tons of help to catch them up.

To deny boys the same help is not surprising in our culture--just as is your boys-don't- matter attitude--but it IS sexist and it IS reprehensible.

[trumbull desi]

11:11 AM on 09/27/2011

Rock on FLOTUS and NSF. I work with some amazing women engineers.