• Name: Erin* 
• PhD Programme: ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership
• Type of study: Part-time 
• Length of PhD:  MRes – 2020-2022. Currently in 2nd year of part-time PhD, ending in 2028  
• University: University of Exeter  
• Children: Two 10-year-old twins, and one 5-year-old. 
• Childcare: Five-year-old previously went to a childminder for under 15-hours a week, which would increase when needed. No childcare support during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• Stipend: £800 a month (part-time) 
• Nursery fees: £5.50 an hour for childminder fees  

Erin’s story: 

“My PhD spans ecology and politics, specifically exploring sustainable beekeeping and how it can be achieved. I decided to study for a PhD because I had a desire to acquire knowledge and go deeper into projects than my previous work as a consultant ecologist had allowed. My husband and I had had three children, with the youngest about to start school and so, timing-wise, it felt like the right time for me to take up the opportunity. My husband works as a GP and, on his salary, we had enough to cover the cost of our mortgage. I knew that we wouldn’t be able to live frivolously but hoped that we would be comfortable.

Having three children, I decided to study part-time, so that I’d could spend more time with them during my studies. During this time, I tried to balance childcare with studying – but I found this to be extremely challenging. I would desperately try to come up with routines and plans. My husband and I felt lucky to belong to a supportive local community with other parents, so we could do things like share school drop-offs and pick-ups. Even still, it was a physical and emotional challenge to be able to balance childcare alongside my studies.

I often felt like I was spending too much time on my PhD, and not enough time with my children. This would cause me to have anxious dreams. During my MRes, I regularly needed to request extensions for work deadlines – and I needed the support of a GP to get evidence for this. Whilst the extensions were granted, I felt belittled and unsupported by some of the responses I received from some of my lecturers, who didn’t seem to consider that lots of people are dealing with different situations and responsibilities alongside their studies.

I experienced periods of anxiety and depression, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. My relationships with my husband and children really suffered, and my self-confidence took a big hit. At times, I thought about quitting as I couldn’t see the value in what I was doing.  It was great to have the support of my local networks, and my husband was able to work three days a week in his practice, and then two days from home, which did make a difference, but also needed careful management and planning.

Whilst I am studying and receiving my stipend, I am only able to work a maximum of 90-hours per term – even studying on a part-time basis. I teach for 8-hours a week across two days, but this only leaves me one day a week for my research. I also, occasionally, undertake some freelance consultancy work, however, needing to do paid work alongside studying for a PhD is a challenge in and of itself, and I have to say ‘no’ to work sometimes as it is too much. I also haven’t been able to secure funds for other elements related to my PhD, such as attending conferences. As a result of this, I have to rely on my husband – who is also already overworked as a GP – and ask him to take time off work, if I want to go to conferences or events. I always wanted to work part-time and study part-time, however, had I known about the cost and impact of childcare whilst undertaking my studies, I would have delayed pursuing my PhD.

I would love to see a much more engaged culture around childcaring responsibilities, and more meaningful conversations around childcare support for postgraduate students. I think this is important, particularly in terms of instilling good values in the next generation and, at the same time, will also give men more options to take on parental responsibilities. I would like to see academia and government make a real commitment to improve the consideration of postgraduate students’ childcare responsibilities. I think that there needs to be a reliable source of childcare funding for postgraduate students, so that people like me don’t need to rely on their spouses, partners and family members in order to get by.”

*Published under a pseudonym. Content correct as of February 2024