Dear Participants,

Despite years of efforts to ensure equal opportunities in science, motherhood and science (including the phase of studies) remain difficult to reconcile. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified the structural incompatibility between academic careers and unpaid caregiving responsibilities in general—and motherhood in particular. With the pilot project Motherhood and Science (part of the FEM POWER Vision project by the KGC, running from 2024–2027), we aim change this. Our goal is to develop sustainable measures to better align motherhood with academic career paths in Saxony-Anhalt.

For that, we need you and your experiences! We would be very grateful if you could take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete the following questionnaire. It serves as an assessment of the current situation and needs regarding the topic of motherhood and science in Saxony-Anhalt. Your participation will help us develop targeted support measures that, ideally, will remain effective even after the project concludes.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sarah Czerney (czerney@kgc-sachsen-anhalt.de).

Thank you very much!

Dr. Sarah Czerney, Coordinator of the pilot project Motherhood and Science (FEM POWER Vision)

Michaela Frohberg, Head of the KGC, Project Lead of FEM POWER Vision

Who do we mean by “mother”?

The terms “motherhood” and “mother” carry the risk of reproducing societal attributions and stereotypes. We explicitly advocate for a reflective use of these terms—one that acknowledges and includes the diversity of mothers and motherhood. Not only cis women are mothers, not all mothers have given birth, and not all who have given birth identify as mothers. 

Moreover, motherhood does not only concern mothers—everyone perceived as female is confronted with this topic at some point in their lives, regardless of whether they actually have children, plan to have them or are able to have them. When we say “mother” or “mothers,” we mean, on the one hand, people who identify as mothers regardless of their gender, and on the other hand, people who experience or are confronted with motherhood, even if they do not identify as mothers. This needs assessment is addressed to all of these individuals and to equality and family actors in science in Saxony-Anhalt.