Scientific Success: What’s Love Got to Do With It?

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Several forum contributors saw marriage as a source of emotional and financial stability rather than a dangerous undertow.
Scientific Success: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Irene S.Levine
United States
26 May 2006
Does marriage sink a scientific career or send it soaring?
Several years ago,Satoshi Kanazawa, then a psychologist at theUniversity of Canterburyin Christchurch, New Zealand, analyzed a biographical database of 280great scientists--mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and biologists.When he calculated the age of each scientist at the peak of hiscareer--the sample was predominantly male--Kanazawa noted aninteresting trend. After a crest during the third decade of life,scientific productivity--as evidenced by major discoveries andpublications--fell off dramatically with age. When he looked at themarital history of the sample, he found that the decline inproductivity was less severe among men who had never been married. As agroup, unmarried scientists continued to achieve well into their late50s, and their rates of decline were slower.
"The productivity of male scientists tends to drop right aftermarriage," says Kanazawa in an e-mail interview from his current officeat theLondon School of Economics and Political Sciencein the United Kingdom. "Scientists tend to ‘desist‘ from scientificresearch upon marriage, just like criminals desist from crime uponmarriage."
Kanazawa‘s perhaps controversial perspective is that of anevolutionary psychologist. "Men conduct scientific research (or doanything else) in order to attract women and get married (albeitunconsciously)," he says. "What’s the point of doing science (oranything else) if one is already married? Marriage (or, more accuratelyreproductive success, which men can usually attain only throughmarriage) is the goal; science or anything else men do is but a means.From my perspective, scientists are no different than anybody else;evolutionary psychology applies to all humans equally," he adds.
The Marriage Toll on Women
Marriage has also been shown to have an adverse impact on the careers of female scientists. Data from theNational Science Foundationshow that female, doctoral-level scientists, and engineers are lesslikely to be married than are their male counterparts (66% versus 83%).Among those married, however, women are more likely to confrontproblems accommodating a two-career marriage--one reason being thatthey are twice as likely as men to have a spouse who works full-time.
Add children to the mix, and the problem is compounded. Research byKimberlee Shauman, an assistant professor of sociology at theUniversity of California, Davis, found that time off for birth and child rearing poses a significant, often irreversible, impediment to a woman’s career.
Marriages That Enhance Careers
Is marriage truly and inevitably a scourge for male and femalescientists? Or can it help advance scientific careers? To hear somereal-world viewpoints on the impact of marriage on a science career, Iraised the issue on theScienceCareers Forum.
Several forum contributors saw marriage as a source of emotional andfinancial stability rather than a dangerous undertow. David, amolecular biologist, met his wife while both were in graduate school.Now married for 6 years, David "wouldn’t change anything. I cannot evenimagine trying to get through all that I (we) have without her as apartner."
"Having a working spouse in graduate school or as a postdoc can be atremendous advantage since you’re no longer trying to make do on thesingle, low-level salary," says Rich, an engineer. "In my case, it’salso helped that I’ve been very good at making sure my career is partof my life--and not the other way around."
"I’m a final year Ph.D. student," says another. "We both are inmedical research, and she’s got a master‘s degree and believe me, ithelps to be married. We both don’t have enough money, but there’s a lotof happiness as each day is exciting, a great future to think about."
Kristen married her closest colleague 6 months before completing herdissertation and is satisfied with what she calls her "in-lab" and"at-home" collaboration. "One major advantage is that we are bothscientists, in a similar field of research, and we understand the driveand passion that is part of the profession. Having someone whounderstands you and supports you wholeheartedly is a great assetthrough grad school, the postdoc years, and beyond."
Last month, when I attended a writers‘ conference in New York, one of the speakers wasSreenath Sreenivasan, an assistant professor and dean of students at theColumbia University Graduate School of Journalism.A scene he described from his marriage evoked a vivid image in my mind.He was sitting against his pillow in bed with his laptop in hand. Hisbusy, multitasking wife (a management consultant and mother of twintoddlers) was also working on a laptop, seated right beside him. Thetwo were tending electronically to their demanding jobs, but they werealso instant messaging each other, obviously on the same emotional"bandwidth" in their devotion to both career and marriage.
Marriages That Fall Apart
Some marriages aren’t strong enough to withstand the strains of ascientific career. "I was always hoping it would get better--aftergraduation, after the postdoc, after tenure," says Chris, a second-yearpostdoc in Canada. "Unfortunately, nothing improved. If anything, itgot worse (more committees, more conferences, more papers, morestudents, more grants, more reviews, and more frustration). I would sayif you are the scientist, yes, get married. If you are the scientist’spartner, think long and hard if you can live with that in yourrelationship," he says.
Rewton, a tenured associate professor with a 9-year-old child,couldn’t agree more about the personal challenges posed by a scientificcareer. "The balance of work and home life has always been an issue inour marriage. There is a certain scientific culture that is difficultto relate to for a non-scientist," he says. "It was a more seriousissue earlier in my career when I was jockeying for faculty jobs, etc.,but it is still an issue."
"I was married to a fellow scientist, but the relationshipdeteriorated after I got a faculty position (and he didn’t). My new jobforced us into a long-distance marriage (300 miles) which didn’tsurvive," says Elizabeth.
Nasif, the principal in a Mexico-based organization calledBiology Cabinet,recounts that over 30 years of marriage, his wife was jealous of thetime he devoted to his career. As his work continued to increase, shebecame bitter and finally left. He doesn’t blame her. "What bothers ourwives is neglect. Buy her a rose bouquet each week, when you purchasescientific supplies for yourself like a book, a microscope, a Petridish, etc."
Marriages That Never Happen
Many scientists complain that the very nature of a science careerlimits opportunities to find a partner. "Much of science isdisproportionately male," says Chad, an engineering trainee. "Therewere weeks during graduate school where I literally did not speak to afemale. I also remember attending parties of 50 people or more, yet youcould count the women on one hand; all of whom were taken."
"The moving-around issue is a huge problem," he adds. "Even if Ifound my dream girl, which is unlikely given the intense workload, whywould she be interested? Fewer things are a bigger downer than tellinga date that you’ll be moving to a distant place in the near future."
"To be honest, I was one of those people who put everything on holdthrough my scientific career," says Os. "However, I wouldn’t suggestothers do this because meeting people and starting relationships justgets harder."
"It’s like Noah’s Ark, and you’ve missed the great pairing up," says Kelly.
According to a recent article in the German newspaperDie Zeit,it’s not only finding a partner but also starting a family that is mademore difficult by a scientific career. The article reported on a studyof scientists ranging from doctoral students to assistant professors.It found that a whopping 73% of 37- to 42-year-olds had no children.Explaining the phenomenon, the article noted that it is so difficultfor scientists to find a permanent position in Germany that those belowthe age of 40 are often forced to take short-term employment withoutany financial or residential stability.
Forty Winks: Science and Sleep
In an effort to achieve and "do it all," many science trainees cheaton sleep. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine suggests thatbusy people have come to consider sleep as an "expendable luxury." Doyou get enough sleep? Are your sleep patterns regular? Do you ever findyour productivity compromised by sleepiness? Do you or someone in yourlab have a diagnosed sleep disorder? What tips can you provide fortrainees coping with daytime sleepiness or nighttime wakefulness? Foran upcoming column in Mind Matters, please share your thoughts andexperiences with our readers. Send your ideas to:Irene.mindmatters@gmail.com.
Making It Work
Unfortunately, the academic climate often exacerbates the problemsinherent in scientist marriages. "The situation of young families canbe especially problematic given the long road (from undergraduate tograduate to postdoc to junior scientist) that certainly extends througha woman’s fertile years," says a postdoc, who is also a parent of ayoung child. "TheWhitehead Institute,Caltech, andStanford have made steps in the right direction, but the current training environment is not ‘family-friendly‘, " he adds.
This postdoc then rattles off his wish list: more liberal leaveprograms that allow graduate students and postdocs time off; smallgrants to hire technical or institutional support staff to help manageexperiments when a sick baby has to be picked up from daycare;assistance in defraying the costs of childcare; loan assistance forpostdocs; options for part-time work; and comprehensive administrative,financial, and legal assistance.
Other trainees note that juggling science and marriage oftenrequires sacrifice as well as flexibility: giving up a job opportunityto allow a partner to remain in his or her lab, missing a family eventto keynote a conference, or being late for work because of taking careof a sick child, for instance. "In a perfect world, you could have itall, never sacrificing anything for either marriage or career," saysLiz. "The world isn’t perfect. Is it worth it? Every minute."
"Sacrifice is a two-way street. Sometimes you sacrifice time in thelab to spend with a girlfriend or a wife, … but I can tell you it’swell worth it. In the end, when your friends get married and have theirown families, your parents pass away, and families move apart and yougrow older, your gel box isn’t going to be there for you on theholidays and those moments when you need someone for support," saysBob. "Really, what’s the point of discovering the greatest thing in theworld if you have no one to tell it to when you come home?"
Resources to Reenter Research After a Career Break
--The Institutes and the Centers of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) along with theOffice of Research on Women’s Health awardadministrative supplementsto existing research grants to hire "reentry candidates," individualswith a high potential to return to an active research career aftertaking time off to care for children or attend to other familyresponsibilities. The supplements pay for full- or part-time salaries,fringe benefits, and other associated expenses.
-TheDaphne Jackson Trust offers scientists wishing to resume their scientific career after a career break two-year part-timefellowships that cover expenses for a research project in a U.K. institution or company, as well as some retraining.
--TheWellcome Trust offersCareer Re-entry Fellowshipsof 2 to 4 years to European postdoctoral scientists wanting to resume acareer in biomedical research. These include a salary, researchexpenses for a project in a U.K. institution, and the opportunity toretrain.
--TheSwiss National Science Foundation (SNF) offers 2-yearMarie Heim-Vögtlinreturn grants to Ph.D. students and postdocs in all disciplines tocarry out a research project within a university after a career break.
--The GermanHelmholtz Association offers 2-yearreentry fellowships (Wiedereinstiegsstellen)that may be used in any of the Helmholtz research centres. Furthertraining and childcare costs may be part of the funding package.
Irene S. Levine is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared inmany of America‘s leading newspapers and magazines. Trained as apsychologist, she works part-time as a research scientist at the NathanKline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York, andshe holds a faculty appointment as a professor of psychiatry at the NewYork University School of Medicine. She resides in Chappaqua, New York.
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