Women making slow, sure strides in science, math

"Why would you have kids when you're going to school?" was the response she got from an official at one of the schools she considered. Only two schools she visited mentioned policies for parental leave, for any student.

Yale was one of them.

"I think it's being driven by doing the right thing as opposed to being used as a recruiting tool," says Pollard, the dean who oversees Allred's program and others at Yale. "But we all know that if you have good practices, you attract good students."

Pollard also concedes that he is particularly sensitive to parental issues because his own daughter, a junior professor at another institution, just had twins.

Among other things, he hopes the university will improve its day care options.

And he says the university just completed a report that examines how various departments can make sure their students — female or male — finish their programs.

Once again, Allred says she feels that crucial support, from her advisor and also her fellow students. Her husband also has agreed to stay home with Anna until Allred gets her doctorate, maybe by the time Anna is in kindergarten.

She jokes that she'll then take on the title of "Dr. Mom," certain that she will be able to add her name to the list of women with PhDs in the STEM fields that is growing — slowly but surely.

"I'm not sure where this is going to take me," Allred says. "I'm just so grateful that I'm here at a time when I can do this."