The reality of ‘continuing to work’ for the generation raising children in pharmacy

—To build new connections—

Abstract

University teaching is a rewarding profession with high individual discretion, burden, and autonomy. However, there are many operations where it is difficult to separate work and life. Difficulties may arise when life events such as marriage, childbirth, childcare, and nursing care occur. Although there should be no difference in how life events affect men and women, the number of female researchers leaving their jobs is relatively high. We organized this symposium because we believe that the first step is to identify the causes and conflicts that make it difficult for people to continue working. The purpose of this symposium was to share information and encourage discussion about life events and difficulties in continuing to work, focusing on childcare. In this review, we report on the symposium’s content, the results of the post-symposium questionnaire, and an overview of the ongoing qualitative study on “continuing to work.”