Parenting and Caregiving in STEM

Parenting is a beautiful yet tough job. My wife and I were pursuing our PhD in Plant Pathology when we welcomed a beautiful addition to our life. However, after the initial jubilation, our next thoughts were automatically directed toward managing this additional responsibility with our limited resources. To be very honest, initially, parenting was very stressful with all the writing, research work, and financial calculations. Being an international student without the parenting experience, it was a tough hill to climb for us. But we managed it and in fact, very much enjoyed it. Truly, women soak more pressure than men during parenting. My better half Gazala handled parenting and her academic responsibility with exemplary efficiency. It would be a lie to say that it did not affect our career ambitions, but it was a small price to pay for a precious reward and everyday adventures in our life.

Many factors…