Padmini Rangamani is a university professor, principal investigator (PI), mother and—since COVID-19 shut down schools in California—a teacher/supervisor/helper to her elementary school-aged children who are learning remotely.
If you think that sounds like a lot for an 8-hour workday, you’d be correct. Add in other household obligations, and it’s even too much for the 24-hour day, nevermind eating or sleeping. But, Rangamani is not alone in this crisis. Mothers of all kinds have been forced to bear the brunt of the pandemic, with advocates calling on President Joe Biden to embrace a Marshall Plan for Moms.
Initially, Rangamani turned to a support network of fellow female faculty members around the United States before the group decided to branch out. They have now published an article in PLOS Computational Biology titled, “Ten simple rules for women principal investigators during a pandemic.” In addition to helpful advise for women in similar positions, the article also contains suggestions for how institutions can help working moms during this busy time.
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