Letter: Blueprint for Improvements

Ambily Banerjee's letter was very thought-provoking and expressed the frustration that I think many of us academic mothers feel, in being expected to participate in the academic equivalent of running a marathon with a concrete breeze block strapped to one leg. It's hardly surprising that even the most academically athletic mothers do not make it to the finish line, or, if they do, they find themselves pulling up at the rear. It's also not surprising that many ambitious women with a dislike of failure choose to avoid altogether a competition that is so stacked against them. Indeed, it is a testament to the power of human curiosity (and optimism) that so many even decide to try.