Balancing Parenthood and a PhD: when your research proposal isn’t the only thing keeping you up at night!

What happens when two major life challenges collide: undertaking a PhD and raising a child? In the UK, women now outnumber men in doctoral research positions, making the issue of balancing a PhD with caring responsibilities more relevant than ever.

Anna Formstone, a PhD student at SBOHVM, knows this first-hand. After having a baby during her first year, she became curious about how fellow PhD students at SBOHVM were managing the demands of both academia and family life and how well supported they felt in the process. In this episode of Natural Speaking, Anna speaks with six PhD parents, five mothers and a father, at SBOHVM who are navigating that balance.

Their conversation explores everything from maternity leave (and how policies differ between funders) to work schedules, future careers, and the realities of doing fieldwork as a parent. They discuss the challenges they have encountered but also the surprising positives that doing a PhD while being a parent can bring.

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This podcast was edited by Shennice Knight.

Intro and outro music sampled from: “The Curtain Rises” and “Early Riser” Kevin MacLeod [CC BY 3.0]. Feature image AI generated through ChatGPT.