Completing the family (i.e. having children) is a rather controversial topic especially for female
researchers. It is not only the time off that comes from the planning,
child-bearing, delivery and child-rearing, but also the
change in family status which mattered.
Getting a child is perhaps going to take a big toll on the
research and teaching that one is currently doing but this is important
for at least two reasons:-
1. The birth of the child to one, or occasionally a pair of academics
would mean that they will be raised in a better environment than an
average person. The environment will likely foster a child of good, if
not great intellectual capacity.
2. A completed family is a continuing family. Living alone at an old age
is lethargic at best - and believe it or not, academics are destined to
be long-living. A family, especially one with children, will continue
to supply the elder member of the family with vitality that is fading
out with age.
This article is an edited version of my original post in an education forum.
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