Inspiring PiMothers Stories
Paola Elefante is a doctoral student at University of Helsinki (Inverse Problems Group). Her current research is on Dynamic X-ray Tomography. She has presented her work at various conferences and has won various scholarships for her work. She is a proud mother of a two and half year old daughter, who she sometimes takes with her to conferences!
Q: How do you balance your time between research and family responsibility? What happens when you have to take unplanned leave?
Well, I have a great help and that is my husband. We have shared responsibility. He also has the luxury of flexibility of schedule. One of the secrets of getting things done when you have kids is keeping things very regular. Office work time is very regular and I am very efficient during the work hours.... Much credit goes to Finland and all this culture around family.
Q: When you discovered that you were expecting, what was your role? How did you continue the research and the academic responsibility?
I was a PhD student, maybe nine months after I started. I continued working for eight months. I went into maternity leave for about ten months (give or take). .... Some reports show dads who stayed at home for a while it was very enlightening for them. They develop such a bond with kids. Every father should do it. It is not as if motherhood comes with a handbook. (Read full interview)
Crystal Braswell is the Manager of Corporate Communications at LinkedIn. She will soon be mother of two, with a three year old son and daughter on her way! She splits her week between Mountain View and San Francisco offices of LinkedIn and has a very active life powered up with an emphasis on physical fitness and networking.
Q: What is your take on the stay-at-home vs working-mom debate?
I have several friends who are stay-at-home moms and I have a lot of respect for them. These women have chosen to stay back home, prioritize their family and children and really pour their all into it. In some cases they grew up dreaming of being a mom, they are living their dreams- and they are doing an amazing job.
For me, being a mom is one of the most important pieces of my personal identity, but so is my role as a PR professional. I cherish family time, but in a way, work also provides me with a break from the daily home life and an opportunity to stimulate another side of my personality.
Obviously, it doesn’t always come down to what one has aspired to though. Sometimes, the cost of childcare exceeds one spouse’s income. In that case, many couples may decide it makes financial sense for one parent to stay-at-home. Which parent chooses to stay, in my opinion is something spouses need to talk about and should not be tied to gender. It depends on the personality type too. It is a personal choice. My career is very fulfilling and satisfying for me. I love being a mother, but I also love being a PR professional. I’m fortunate that financial circumstances enable me to be both. (Read full interview)
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