When Did They Manage It All? Women Doctors of Sciences on Work-Life Balance in Research and Everyday Life

Women scientists represent an important resource for the development of the intellectual potential of modern science. In Russia, there are 6.700 women researchers holding a Doctor of Sciences degree, accounting for only 5.1% of the total number of Doctor of Sciences degree holders. This makes increasing the representation of women among highly qualified scientific personnel a particularly relevant issue. At the same time, due to prevailing gender stereotypes and social expectations, women are more likely than men to combine professional responsibilities with family and household responsibilities in their everyday lives. This study focuses on a distinctive group of women – Doctor of Sciences degree holders at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) who obtained their degrees before the age of 39 and are raising two or more children. The aim of the study is to identify the conditions and strategies that enable women to achieve high levels of scientific accomplishment while maintaining a balance between professional and family responsibilities. The empirical basis of the study consists of five unstructured interviews with women representing different faculties. The methodological framework is based on a prosopographical approach, which makes it possible to identify common features of academic trajectories and life strategies. The findings show that young women who achieve significant success in science can also achieve substantial accomplishments in other areas of life, despite the obstacles they face. The study highlights the need for two interrelated measures. First, specialised monitoring of the life strategies of young women researchers should be established. Second, state family-support programmes should be supplemented with measures designed to encourage young scientists to pursue high levels of scientific achievement while also supporting them in fulfilling their roles as parents.