Federal Agency Grants, Contracts, and Family Accommodation Policies and Programs Survey

We are interested in learning about your agency's formal or informal family accommodation policies or programs associated with your grant-making activities that apply to fellows and other classes of researchers (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty PIs, academic researchers, and so forth) whose work might be supported by a grant or contract offered by your agency.

Because of the specificity of the survey questions and potential overlap in policies, you may want to review the survey prior to answering any questions and consult others at your institution. In addition to trying to understand differences in policies as they are applied to the various classes of researchers, we are also interested in understanding how policies affect individuals in different types of family situations, e.g. birth mothers, new adoptive parents, fathers, etc.

As you fill out the survey, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns at: goulden@berkeley.edu or (510) 643-2791.

When you have finished the survey, please click the submit button (located at the very bottom of the survey) so that we will receive your response.

You may at any point along the way save your responses (by clicking one of the save buttons) and return to the survey at a later time by logging in again with your username and password.

A. Family Accommodation Policies for Predoctoral Fellows (e.g., graduate students)

In regard to issues of benefits and family accommodation policies, are there different classes or categories of predoctoral fellows at your agency (i.e. different classes/categories with different levels of access to benefits/family accommodations)?

Yes, there are. (please explain below)

No, all predoctoral fellows are considered to be in the same class or category. (go to Question 2)

Classes or categories of predoctoral fellows: Please type or paste in the box below a description of or a web link to information that explains the distinctions between the classes or categories of predoctoral fellows at your agency and, if possible, their relative access to benefits or family accommodation policies (please also note which of these different groups has the largest number of individuals):

Note: If you have more than one class or category of predoctoral fellow, please answer the following series of questions about the largest group at your agency.

Predoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child

In the event that a predoctoral fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding paid maternity leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 3).

Written policy regarding paid maternity leave for predoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid maternity leave for predoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Predoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to paid maternity leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a predoctoral fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid disability leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 4).

Written policy regarding unpaid disability leave for predoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid disability leave for predoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Predoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to unpaid disability leave, please provide them in the below box:

Predoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child

In the event that a predoctoral fellow provides care to a new child (e.g., in cases of adoption or for male caregivers), do you have a written policy regarding paid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 5).

Written policy regarding paid parental leave for predoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid parental leave for predoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Predoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to paid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a predoctoral fellow provides care to a new child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 6).

Written policy regarding unpaid parental leave for predoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid parental leave for predoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Predoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to unpaid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

Can predoctoral fellows defer the beginning of their fellowship period if they become a new parent?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing predoctoral fellows to defer the beginning of a fellowship period in cases where they have become a new parent (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link):

Can predoctoral fellows lengthen the timeline of their fellowship in order to accommodate a leave related to caregiving?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing predoctoral fellows to lengthen the timeline of their fellowship to accommodate a leave related to caregiving (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link):

As you described throughout this section, do the same family accommodation policies or practices apply to predoctoral trainees (those paid off of training grants)?

Yes, the same policies/practices apply.

It is unclear whether the same policies or practices apply.

No or not exactly please explain:

In what other ways does your agency support career and life issues for predoctoral fellows (please explain or describe)?

Please provide us with contact information for an appropriate individual or office in case we need to follow-up with questions about your agency's family accommodation policies and practices with respect to predoctoral fellows:

If you would like to save your work, please click the save button now.

B. Family Accommodation Policies for Postdoctoral Fellows

Do you have time-based stipulations for the start of postdoctoral fellowships at your agency (e.g., fellowship must begin within 5 years of receipt of the Ph.D.)?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not.

Policy or practice requiring new postdoctoral fellows to have completed the Ph.D. within a certain number of years (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link):

In regard to issues of benefits and family accommodation policies, are there different classes or categories of postdoctoral fellows at your agency (i.e. different classes/categories with different levels of access to benefits/family accommodations)?

Yes, there are. (please explain below)

No, all postdoctoral fellows are considered to be in the same class or category. (go to Question 2)

Classes or categories of postdoctoral fellows: Please type or paste in the box below a description of or a web link to information that explains the distinctions between the classes or categories of postdoctoral fellows at your agency and, if possible, their relative access to benefits or family accommodation policies (please also note which of these different groups has the largest number of individuals):

Note: If you have more than one class or category of postdoctoral fellow, please answer the following series of questions about the largest group at your agency.

Postdoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child

In the event that a postdoctoral fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding paid maternity leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 13).

Written policy regarding paid maternity leave for postdoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid maternity leave for postdoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of postdoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to paid maternity leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a postdoctoral fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid disability leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 14).

Written policy regarding unpaid disability leave for postdoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid disability leave for postdoctoral fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of postdoctoral Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to unpaid disability leave, please provide them in the below box:

Postdoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child

In the event that a postdoctoral fellow provides care to a new child (e.g., in cases of adoption or for male caregivers), do you have a written policy regarding paid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 15).

Written policy regarding paid parental leave for postdoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid parental leave for postdoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of postdoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to paid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a postdoctoral fellow provides care to a new child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 16).

Written policy regarding unpaid parental leave for postdoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid parental leave for postdoctoral fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of postdoctoral Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to unpaid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

Can postdoctoral fellows defer the beginning of their fellowship period if they become a new parent?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing postdoctoral fellows to defer the beginning of a fellowship period in cases where they have become a new parent (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link):

Can postdoctoral fellows shift to temporary or permanent part-time status or extend their contact timeline to accommodate a leave related to caregiving?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing postdoctoral fellows to lengthen the timeline of their fellowship to accommodate a leave related to caregiving (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of the practice or a web link):

In what other ways does your agency support career and life issues for postdoctoral fellows (please explain or describe)?

Please provide us with contact information for an appropriate individual or office in case we need to follow-up with questions about your agency's family accommodation policies and practices with respect to postdoctoral fellows:

If you would like to save your work, please click the save button now.

C. Family Accommodation Policies for Faculty Fellows (e.g., NIH NRSA Senior Fellows F3)

In regard to issues of benefits and family accommodation policies, are there different classes or categories of faculty fellows at your agency (i.e. different classes/categories with different levels of access to benefits/family accommodations)?

Yes, there are. (please explain below)

No, all faculty fellows are considered to be in the same class or category. (go to Question 2)

Classes or categories of faculty fellows : Please type or paste in the box below a description of or a web link to information that explains the distinctions between the classes or categories of faculty fellows at your agency and, if possible, their relative access to benefits or family accommodation policies (please also note which of these different groups has the largest number of individuals):

Note: If you have more than one class or category of faculty fellow, please answer the following series of questions about the largest group at your agency.

Faculty Fellows Who Bear a Child

In the event that a faculty fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding paid maternity leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 21).

Written policy regarding paid maternity leave for faculty fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid maternity leave for faculty fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Faculty Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to paid maternity leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a faculty fellow bears a child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid disability leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 22).

Written policy regarding unpaid disability leave for faculty fellows who bear a child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid disability leave for faculty fellows who bear a child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Faculty Fellows Who Bear a Child and your agency's approach to unpaid disability leave, please provide them in the below box:

Faculty Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child

In the event that a faculty fellow provides care to a new child (e.g., in cases of adoption or for male caregivers), do you have a written policy regarding paid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 23).

Written policy regarding paid parental leave for faculty fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding paid parental leave for faculty fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Faculty Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to paid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

In the event that a faculty fellow provides care to a new child, do you have a written policy regarding unpaid parental leave?

Yes, we do. (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, we do not have a written policy, but we have a standard or routine practice. (please describe in the second box below or provide a web link that discusses the practice)

No, we do not (go to Question 24).

Written policy regarding unpaid parental leave for faculty fellows who provide care to a new child: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link:

Standard or routine practice regarding unpaid parental leave for faculty fellows who provide care to a new child: Please explain who grants it and under what types of cases, and typically for how long the leave lasts:

Additional Comments: If you have any other comments about the issue of Faculty Fellows Who Provide Care to a New Child and your agency's approach to unpaid parental leave, please provide them in the below box:

Can faculty fellows defer the beginning of their fellowship period if they become a new parent?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing faculty fellows to defer the beginning of a fellowship period in cases where they have become a new parent (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of it or a web link):

Can faculty fellows shift to temporary or permanent part-time status or extend their contact timeline to accommodate a leave related to caregiving?

Yes, they can (please paste or describe in box provided below or provide a web link)

No, they can't.

Policy or practice allowing faculty fellows to lengthen the timeline of their fellowship to accommodate a leave related to caregiving (Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of the practice or a web link):

In what other ways does your agency support career and life issues for faculty fellows (please explain or describe)?

Please provide us with contact information for an appropriate individual or office in case we need to follow-up with questions about your agency's family accommodation policies and practices with respect to faculty fellows:

If you would like to save your work, please click the save button now.

D. Faculty Principal Investigators (PIs) Who Employ Other Classes of Researchers

In the event that an employee (e.g., doctoral student, postdoc, or academic researcher) or a faculty PI paid off a grant from your agency has a child or becomes a new parent, do you provide supplemental grants to offset the lost productivity?

Yes, we do (please describe the policy or practice below)

No, we do not provide supplemental grants for this purpose

Policy or practice regarding supplemental grants: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of your practice, or a web link:

In the event that an employee (e.g., doctoral student, postdoc, or academic researcher) or a faculty PI paid off a grant from your agency has a child or becomes a new parent, do you provide no-cost grant extensions to offset the lost productivity?

Yes, we do (please describe the policy or practice below)

No, we do not provide no-cost grant extensions for this purpose

Policy or practice regarding no-cost grant extensions: Please paste in your policy, or provide a description of your practice, or a web link:

In the case of employees paid off of grants from your agency, do you generally defer to local institutional policies when it comes to the provision of family accommodation policies and practices?

Yes, we do (please describe below)

In some cases we do, and in others we do not (please explain below):

No we do not.

Please provide us with contact information for an appropriate individual or office in case we need to follow-up with questions about your agency's family accommodation policies and practices with respect to faculty PIs who employ other classes of researchers:

If you would like to save your work, please click the save button now.

E. Women in the Academic Pipeline, Peer Review Practices, and Data Collection

What is your agency's formal policy about supporting women in the academic pipeline?

Are there any other ways in which you support women in the academic pipeline that we did not ask you about (e.g., supplements for childcare during conferences, specific funding mechanisms to provide support during caregiving leaves of absence, funding to hire replacement staff during caregiving leaves of absence)?

Yes, we support women in the academic pipeline in other ways (please explain below):

No, we do not.

Other ways in which your agency currently supports women in the academic pipeline:

In what other ways could your agency help to support women in the academic pipeline?

Do you have faculty fellowships for middle rank faculty (e.g. associate professors)?

What instructions do peer reviewers receive about resume, or productivity, gaps?

Instructions for peer reviewers regarding resume, or productivity, gaps (please provide a description or a web link):

Do peer reviewers for your agency receive specific instructions or guidelines for evaluating faculty PIs with productivity gaps that are clearly related to caregiving?

Yes, they do. (please explain)

No, they do not.

Instructions for peer reviewers regarding caregiving gaps (please provide a description or a web link):

Do you have any other comments about any of the issues raised in this survey?