Career interrupted
Taking a career break can cost you a grant , especially for women .
By Emilie Lauer
Experts have called for the establishment of specialised peer review panels to help close the gender funding gap in academic research .
A recent survey from the National Health and Medical Research Council ( NHMRC ) found work disruptions to be the main reason why researchers feared an end to their careers .
By taking extended time off , for example , researchers created a gap in their work output , considerably limiting their chances of receiving a grant in the future .
According to study lead Professor Adrian Barnett , this was especially concerning to academics in health and medical disciplines who depended on new funding to drive their research .
“ Not only do you have to deal with the terrible things in your life , but you also may end up losing your career as a medical researcher ,” Barnett told Campus Review . “ That ’ s a double whammy .” The survey revealed that 13 per cent of respondents who had experienced career disruptions did not want to disclose them in funding applications .
Barnett said this was because some individuals were not comfortable revealing their personal issues due to a fear of being perceived as ‘ weak ’.
“ That issue also arises during joint applications , as the other party can read the application and learn about their colleague ’ s personal life ,” added Barnett . “ In that case , they write nothing .” In Australia , disclosing career disruptions is encouraged as peer reviewers are meant to adjust the candidate application appropriately .
However , the survey highlighted many inconsistencies in how peer reviewers adjusted people ’ s applications .
More time was given to researchers who provided medical certificates compared to people who chose not to disclose them for privacy reasons , for example .
Similarly , researchers who were off due to family circumstances were given more time , compared to those who suffered from depression .
According to Barnett , people with mental illness are more likely to not disclose the full extent of their work disruption compared to childbirth .
“ This shows the stigma of the disruption like mental health , there ’ s a fear that a reviewer might think it will happen again , and therefore won ’ t give the money ,” he said .
Around 21 per cent of Australians have taken time off work due to feeling mentally unwell , according to the most recent state of workplace mental health survey .
It ’ s a situation that has worsened throughout the pandemic , with a 25 per cent increase in anxiety and depression being reported worldwide .
FEWER GRANTS FOR WOMEN IN ACADEMIA
Caring for children was reported as one of the most common career disruptions , a task often taken on by female researchers , Barnett said .
This means that having children could cost a woman in research the future of her career , further deepening the gender gap in senior academia .
“ Here in Australia , for senior women , there ’ s a really big gap in the medical research council funding . Men are much more likely to get the money ,” he said .
“ The main problem is we have very low funding and a super competitive system . You could be excellent and still not get funding .
“ A slight imperfection , say from taking off six months to look after a child or an elderly person , can really harm your career .”
Barnett also believes that the increased pay gap in universities is also due to more women leaving the research world .
“ After a break , women know they can ’ t compete : their CV , unfortunately , becomes uncompetitive and they can ’ t get back into the system ,” he said .
“ Or they know that if they apply [ for funding ], they can get rejected because they ’ re not getting fair treatment .”
According to the NHMRC 2021 Grant Application Round data , out of the 2453 women who applied for a grant last year , only 328 received one .
For the same time period , 2882 men
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