Female scientists in US academia fear their careers will suffer after having a child, and struggle to balance work and motherhood, states a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of University Professors in Washington DC on 11 June. 'Experiences and challenges of women combining academic careers and Motherhood', by psychologist Tovah Klein and research assistant Danielle Auriemma of Barnard College, New York, looked at 20 academics, including scientists, in seven institutions. It found that they devote most of their non-childcare time to work, for fear of losing ground. “Women did not feel they were productive enough ... in spite of objective evidence [of] productive careers,” says the study.