Retaining the Early Career Geoscience Workforce: a Multilateral and Equitable Approach

Abstract:

Postdocs represent a critical stage in the careers of geoscientists. Women are most likely to drop out of academic science just before or during postdoctoral training (Shen 2013). Uncoincidentally, this is also when they are most likely to have children. Postdocs, especially those with young children, are rarely compensated well enough to maintain a family. The average cost of infant childcare in the United States ($14,760), for example, alone constitutes about a third of what Woolston 2019 calculates to be the median salary for postdocs ($47,500). Their hiring and careers also depend largely on their relationship with one supervisor, creating a system rife for abuse. Minorities, foreign nationals, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged are often the most harmed by this lack of financial and institutional support, perpetuating a vicious cycle of inequity and underrepresentation in the geosciences that has only worsened during the COVID19 crisis. Clearly, urgent action is needed. But what action, and where?

To combat these disparities and help mitigate the lack of institutional oversight, we argue that postdoctoral institutions and universities, along with grantmaking agencies, must prioritize the health and social needs of their postdocs, especially women and other marginalized groups, and move away from a system of unilateral reporting towards one of multiparty accountability. These institutions must also provide affordable childcare options for postdocs, especially now and in light of the critical shortage of childcare induced by the COVID19 crisis. Finally, these institutions must work to uncover and address the hidden barriers that underrepresented groups, especially mother-scientists, face; support their inclusion in conferences and other collaborations; compensate them for acts of “hidden labor,” including the service tasks they are often and disproportionately assigned; regularly monitor their workloads and obligations; establish clear standards for contract continuation or renewal; and develop policies to assess and respond equitably to the impact of the COVID19 crisis on postdocs and their families.