I wrote way too much today and got tied up in some insider gossip about freelance writers, so I really should walk away from the Internet. But first I wanted to point to a blog post in the New York Times about maternity policies (or lack thereof) in graduate and medical schools. KJ asked what provisions and policies exist for pregnant parents in graduate programs.
Jonah was a grad school baby. Both Steve and I were working on our dissertations when he was born. My health insurance came from a policy job that I had through the graduate center. The school itself offered no insurance to students. The school did not provide students with any stipends. We lived off the salary from my policy job, adjunct professor money, and student loans. After Jonah arrived, I quit my policy job. My parents gave us some money, so we could finish the dissertations. We also relied on WIC to pay for formula.
There's been a lot of talk in academic circles about drastically shortening the time spent in graduate school. Yes.