Video Badger Talks video: Working women and the pandemic

Pam Kreeger thought that as the pandemic continued, workplaces and institutions would figure out how to support women who were facing with rising challenges in their home and work lives.

Women are taking on more of the housework and childcare duties than men and large numbers of them are dropping out of the workforce. In academia, women are submitting fewer papers, too. But instead of seeing the cultural conversations she hoped for, Kreeger read advice that didn’t seem to reflect the reality she was living. So, she decided to help change the conversation.

With several co-authors, Kreeger wrote the now viral list, “10 simple rules for women principal investigators during a pandemic.” It’s a list intended for women researchers – Kreeger herself is associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison – but it became something many women can relate to, no matter their profession.

In this Badger Talks interview, Kreeger discusses why it’s important for women to be okay with saying no and why it’s so crucial to know your own needs and what it takes to stay healthy and balanced.

One other rule? There are no rules. Only suggestions, because Kreeger says women have already been told what to do too often in their lives and they know their own situation best. Kreeger says, “There’s no way that the way I’m experiencing this situation is the exact same as any other woman anywhere. Everybody is having a unique experience.”