OPINION: Parental leave without unintended consequences

This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed in the article reflect the author's perspective.

In Denmark, we are fortunate to have some of the best parental leave policies in the world. Parents are entitled to up to one year of leave combined, which is a huge advantage for both families and for gender equality. However, there are situations where even good rights can have unintended consequences. As a PhD student, you feel this when your supervisor goes on parental leave.

I have a supervisor whom I greatly appreciate, both professionally and personally. She has been an important support in my development as a researcher, and I feel she sees me as more than just a student. That’s why I was also happy to hear the news that she is expecting. She deserves to take all the maternity leave she is entitled to and desires.

At the same time, I must honestly say: it has been a difficult period. A PhD in Denmark is only three years long. If your supervisor takes six months of paternal leave, you lose 17 percent of the time you have access to guidance, feedback, and professional development with the very person who is supposed to help you reach your goal. If the leave lasts longer, it can quickly amount to a third of the PhD period.

Other countries, such as Germany or the United States, have longer PhD programmes – often four, five, or even six years. This brings its own set of challenges, but it also offers more flexibility. In Denmark, you must complete courses, teach, and carry out three research projects that should ideally result in publishable outcomes – all within three years. It is already a demanding program. Losing your primary support during this time, even for a good and legitimate reason, can be a significant obstacle.

I have spoken with other PhD students in the same situation, and many of us find this a challenging time. Even with a planned strategy for the period, it’s hard to maintain momentum. There is no formal requirement for a supervisor to be available during parental leave, and they certainly shouldn’t be. It largely depends on what has been agreed upon in advance. If you have a second supervisor, it may provide some relief, but many are left to manage experiments, fieldwork, and writing processes on their own – without ongoing feedback. Also, research is rarely linear; new questions and challenges arise all the time, making it difficult to plan in a way that can hold for half a year or even a full year.

I get that this is a sensitive topic, and I’m not here to criticise parental leave; far from it. But maybe it’s time we had a more open chat about how parental leave affects PhD programmes and how we can better support both supervisors and PhD students when it comes into play.

Perhaps we should consider whether PhD programmes could be extended in such cases? Or if universities should offer more structured support during the supervisor’s absence: for example, through a temporary, active mentoring system?

Parental leave should be a joy, not an invisible obstacle for the next generation of researchers.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen.