Maternity Leave Benefit for Researchers: a Case Study of FAPESP’s Maternity Leave Policy
Keywords:
Maternity leave, women’s academic careers, academic productivismAbstract
The proportion of researchers by gender has proven virtually equal in Brazil. Maternal life often occurs concomitantly with a researcher’s career development, raising the need for policies that can prevent these two spheres from colliding. Eight years ago, maternity leave benefit was first considered by research funding government agencies. In 2013, the São Paulo State funding agency (FAPESP) also joined efforts towards the gender inclusion agenda. This article analyzes the application of the Ordinance PR nº 08/2015, which guarantees the maternity leave benefit by FAPESP. The article also aims to identify room for improvement in the application process and factors that could contribute to its full realization: a complete break from academic activities during the four-month leave period, without prejudice to the development of the researcher’s career. Its findings observe a culture of academic productivism that affects the application of the benefit in various ways, imposing significant difficulties for grantees who wish to benefit from it. We believe that the results may influence the institutional stakeholders that surround maternity leave benefit as a whole.
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