Accéder à un poste définitif de chercheur universitaire

rapports à la carrière et articulations avec la vie privée et familiale

Abstract

Drawn on biographical interviews with researchers having recently received a tenured position from the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) in Belgium, the authors analyze the interference between attitudes toward professional career and private life. They reconstruct three ideal types of researchers: the “exclusive” researcher, focused entirely on scientific work; the “breadwinner” researcher, prioritizing a career without sacrificing family life by delegating household chores to his spouse; the “equilibrist” researcher, striving to find the work-life balance. The latter two figures are highly gendered, the first one being declined in masculine and the second one in feminine. This analysis contributes to highlight the extent to which the articulation of working life and private life plays an important role in the development of a scientific career. While reminding that it is still more difficult for women/mothers than for men/fathers to achieve a successful scientific career, this article emphasizes that successful professional configurations rely on individuals and not organizations.