5th June 2010, 10:34 PM
This survey made my **** boil. It is so badly constructed - with many questions appearing to be deliberately constructed to make you supply data that will support the questioner's view of the world and little/no opportunity to put stuff in that might challenge it. I am a man (last time I checked) and believe it or not I now have an office job, which I chose to pursue because I wanted to have a family and thought it would be nice to see them a bit more often than just at weekends. Was this sexual discrimination? Host's reply to Dino rather implies that it was.
For the record my wife is also an archaeologist, post-children (when not on maternity leave) she has worked part-time in field archaeology.
Having questionnaires that look at one part of the workforce in isolation is ridiculous particularly if you're at all interested in the impact of children. Archaeologists are frequently married to/partnered by archaeologists, so when it comes to the effects of parenthood in archaeology you can't just look at women. A male archaeologist is very likely to be involved at some stage! If I hadn't found an office niche I certainly would have left archaeology upon becoming a father because site work is very family unfriendly. The pay gives very little reason to stay and as you advance you actually do less fun stuff anyway, so why stay in archaeology? I know several other men who have made a similar choice. Unless we see a return to units only working in their own county this is pretty unlikely to change. Come to think of it local 12 hour-day watching briefs aren't great for family life either.
I saw last year's women in archaeology survey and it had the same negative view underpinning the questions.
Hey ho spleen vented. I feel a bit better now.
For the record my wife is also an archaeologist, post-children (when not on maternity leave) she has worked part-time in field archaeology.
Having questionnaires that look at one part of the workforce in isolation is ridiculous particularly if you're at all interested in the impact of children. Archaeologists are frequently married to/partnered by archaeologists, so when it comes to the effects of parenthood in archaeology you can't just look at women. A male archaeologist is very likely to be involved at some stage! If I hadn't found an office niche I certainly would have left archaeology upon becoming a father because site work is very family unfriendly. The pay gives very little reason to stay and as you advance you actually do less fun stuff anyway, so why stay in archaeology? I know several other men who have made a similar choice. Unless we see a return to units only working in their own county this is pretty unlikely to change. Come to think of it local 12 hour-day watching briefs aren't great for family life either.
I saw last year's women in archaeology survey and it had the same negative view underpinning the questions.
Hey ho spleen vented. I feel a bit better now.