Towards Family-Friendly Conferences
Type of resource
Research article
Field
Gender equality / Academic career and conference culture
Published in
Geoscience Communication
Scientific conferences are central to academic careers, offering opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange and visibility within a research community. Yet for researchers with families, attending conferences poses significant organisational challenges — challenges that fall disproportionately on mothers. This tension between professional and family obligations is one of the factors contributing to the leaky pipeline in academia.
This research article by Elena Päffgen, Lisa Schielicke and Leonie Esters presents the results of an online survey among geoscience researchers based primarily in Europe. Key findings show that parents wish for more support at conferences, that the majority of researchers without children welcome family-friendly measures, and that conference organisers can make meaningful improvements even with modest adjustments. The findings are translated into concrete guidelines for organisers seeking to make their events more equitable and inclusive.
