by Madeleine Jenness
It was reported in de Gelderlander on 29 February 2024 that the Nijmegen School of Management (NSM) at Radboud University is asking its PhD candidates not to become pregnant. I firstly must state my outrage at this news, and respond to the university that reproductive bodies, and the choices made with the power our bodies hold, belong to, and only to, those whose body it is. This is a basic human right.
With the attacks against reproductive rights currently going on in my home country of the United States, it is appalling to see the same sentiment—that an institution should have any say over reproductive bodies—here at my university, in my faculty, where I study Gender, Equity and Inclusion in Politics. It is shameful and gives me pause to be part of this faculty, seeing that the inclusion they tote is a value not held by all.
De Gelderlander reports that “There are serious concerns about systematic harassment and discrimination at one of the largest faculties of the Nijmegen university. PhD students at Radboud University have been asked not to get pregnant. Pregnancy would reduce their career opportunities.” [translated from the original Dutch by the author.]
I found this alleged event concerning due to the underlying belief system the statement lays-bare: how people with mental and physical demands that deviate from the societal norm are not welcome in academia. Pregnancy and the post-partum period are times that can alter one’s mental and physical abilities. We must acknowledge the fact that pregnancy requires us to give more attention to our physical and mental needs than we perhaps normally do.
This gets to the crux of my disgust with the statement that PhDers should not get pregnant here at NSM: it is that whoever is promoting that sentiment is unwilling to accommodate people when their needs are different than what is typically accepted. If people are being told to delay pregnancy, then what about someone who always needs additional accommodations? For example, someone who receives an ADHD diagnosis, or has chronic illness, chronic pain, or a myriad of other, dynamic, visible or invisible disabilities. I fear that the expressed sentiment provides a gateway to the justification of other forms of ability-related discrimination against employees of the faculty.
The sexist undertones of the statement should not go disregarded either. I have used gender-neutral language regarding pregnancy up until this point, but I now would like to turn to the explicit implications it has against women doing PhDs within the faculty. As a reminder, the translated report indicated that PhD candidates, during their employment, should not become pregnant—not that they should not have children. This distinction demonstrated the pointedness of the statement towards women, not potential partners who are also entitled to parental leave.
While de Gelderlander may not have a good track record with its accuracy on reporting on Radboud—I’m referring to the contested reporting of a canceled staff Christmas dinner earlier this year due to NSM’s budget deficit, which Vice Dean of Education Anna van der Vleuten stated never had existed during “Celebrate NSM!” on 28 September 2023—I am writing this with the understanding that underneath any hyperbolic reporting, there is truth to the statement that PhDs in the NSM were told to not get pregnant during their PhD.
Radboud University responded to the news by saying “In response to reports in the media, Radboud University wishes to emphatically state that pregnancy should not play a role in the hiring of employees, nor during their employment.”
Again, the fear for my rights to my body and my choices raised by the current American political climate are especially high. To hear that this same entitlement to women’s bodies exists at my university is appalling.
I wish to express that this article is addressed toward any individuals or collective department(s) that allegedly gave the advice that PhDers should not become pregnant and I call for the university to put in the work to better educate its employees in diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in differing abilities. If those who made the statement are unwilling to do so, I ask for their resignation.
References:
Rutten, E. R. & Rieke, D. (2024, February 29). Radboud Universiteit intimideert personeel en vraagt promovendi niet zwanger te worden. De Gelderlander. www.gelderlander.nl/nijmegen/radboud-universiteit-intimideert-personeel-en-vraagt-promovendi-niet-zwanger-te-worden-br~a4c48ea4/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F.
Pregnancy and contracts at Radboud University. (2024, March 1). Radboud University. https://www.ru.nl/en/about-us/news/pregnancy-and-contracts-at-radboud-university.
Raffia 