Care and the Academy

Working Towards a Gold Standard

The Development Geographies Research Group (DevGRG) and the Gender & Feminist Geographies Research Group (GFGRG) of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) have been working together to achieve better policies to support care in academy.

This started with an event at the RGS, London to development a Gold Standard for funding:

Changing Policy

The RGS have since changed their policy so that grant holders can claim related care costs – for example, childcare costs whilst on fieldwork. We are continuing to work towards changing policy more widely.

In 2019, we sent a survey around UK geography departments to find out how care responsibilities impact career trajectories (and decisions to have children). Dr Charlotte Ray is currently writing this up.

Publications Related to this Work

Hope, J., Lemanski, C., Bastia, T., Moeller, N., Meth, P. and Williams, G., 2020. Childcare and academia: an interventionInternational Development Planning Review.

Jenkins, K., 2020. Academic motherhood and fieldwork: Juggling time, emotions, and competing demandsTransactions of the Institute of British Geographers.

& a new blog….article/https://liverpooluniversitypress.blog/2020/10/15/international-development-planning-review-42-4-featured-article/

Please contact Jessica Hope (jch31@st-andrews.ac.uk) and Rosie Cox (r.cox@bbk.ac.uk) if you have any questions…..or can help!