U.S. women in science to get support

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Science Foundation says it's embarking on a 10-year plan to provide greater work-related flexibility to women in research careers.

Among the practices to be inaugurated are moves to allow researchers to delay or suspend their research grants for as long as one year so they can care for a newborn or newly adopted child or fulfill other family obligations, a release from the White House said Monday.

"Too many young women scientists and engineers get sidetracked or drop their promising careers because they find it too difficult to balance the needs of those careers and the needs of their families," NSF Director Subra Suresh said. "This new initiative aims to change that, so that the country can benefit from the full range and diversity of its talent."

NSF, a source of federal grants for many fields of basic research crucial to U.S. technology development and job creation, is calling on universities and research institutes to adopt similar policies for their employees and grantees, the White House said.