Thursday, April 19, 2007   Notes Scribbled Between Events
I'm guessing that gender makes a huge difference here.     On my
campus, and in my department, there is a sense of welcome when
it comes to having to bring kids occasionally to campus. BUT
you're right that it's totally different for women than for men.
Part of this is how women themselves feel about it - worried
that they will be perceived as less serious or that people will
be bothered by the child/ren. Men, on the other hand, seem to
bring the child/ren in with a sense of entitlement that of
course everybody will understand and of course their kids are
darling and of course this makes them more human.  Then, there
are the hidden consequences to the family friendly atmosphere.
Example: I've got a colleague who has a child under 1 year. The
department was very accommodating to her about her schedule
(giving the days of the week that she wanted to help with
childcare rather than sticking her with a 4 or 5 day a week
schedule), very accommo