Women in Science
Part-time and flexible working
Video clip: Helen found that attitudes to part-time working have changed between having her first and second child.
I was on a fellowship and I, strictly speaking could be where I wanted. I suppose actually that's one of the times when having kids made a difference because I was on a fellowship I could have travelled, gone where I wanted to, I had the money to do it but I had a baby who was in nursery and a husband who worked so I couldn't just pick up sticks and go and collaborate with somebody on the other side of the world, I couldn't do that. So, sorry now I've lost my train of thought, where was I? Yes, so when I came back from maternity leave from having my daughter there was no discussion of part time working. It was just come back full time. So interestingly when I had my son which was a couple of years later, I think things had moved on a bit and I came back part time, admittedly four days a week but it was enough to kind of give me the head space so that I could actually spend some time with my kids and not feel guilty that I wasn't being paid to be at work. I could actually take the day off and do stuff with them, yes. But that hadn't even been discussed the first time round.