The category of family-friendly infrastructures focused on the support offered during the conference and at the conference site. As shown in Fig. , 43 % of the mothers and 24 % of the fathers stated that they have already taken their children to conferences (χ2=2.49, p=0.114 (non-significant); testing method C).

At the same time, 32 % of all mothers and 28 % of all fathers would like to bring their children to future conferences. 13 % of the participants that already brought their children to conferences stated that they would like to do so in the future, while 32 % of those who said they have not taken their children to conferences said they would like to. None of the parents selected both that they already brought their children and would not like to take them in the future. In this context, it should be mentioned that the participants were not explicitly asked to select two out of the four options and 63 % only selected one. More of the parents that have already taken their children to conferences state that they visit three or more conferences a year (28 %), compared to the colleagues that have not brought their children along (13 %). The answers did not differ significantly by the age of the children. About one third of parents in each group (with the youngest child under three years, between three and six years and over six years) said they already brought their children along. However, more parents with children older than six years reported that they have not brought their children to conferences (56 %) and fewer of them expressed the desire to bring children in the future (23 %), compared to the other two age groups. Among parents with younger children, 48 % had not brought their children to conferences and 36 % (under three years) and 34 % (three to six years) said they would like to bring them. 23 parents prefer to attend conferences without children. Those caregivers stated “I prefer going without my child to conferences for networking” and “Talks are important, but networking is more important”. Figure  summarizes the relative importance of family-friendly infrastructure offers to the parents interviewed. Childcare service was rated helpful by 71 % of the caregivers. Daycare is the necessary precondition for many parents to be able to bring their children along. However, when implementing childcare services, multiple aspects have to be considered. Especially at international conferences, children are going to speak different languages. To make all children feel welcome, it would be ideal to have childcare personnel who are fluent in several languages. In this context, it is crucial to provide an environment that feels safe for both the parent and their child. This entails that childcare rooms are easy to reach from the lecture rooms, the atmosphere is welcoming and parents can get in contact with the childcare personnel anytime. Another important consideration is that conference schedules and the specific needs of children are individual, which should be reflected in a flexible daycare that allows children to be dropped off and picked up at different times. To allow caregivers to bring their children to conferences, inclusive scheduling of talks and events, such as holding them during the offered childcare hours, is necessary, but it is equally important to communicate to parents explicitly when they are welcome to bring their children to an event. Multiple parents reported that evening events are especially challenging to attend when they have their children with them.

Apart from integrating children into their parents' conference schedule, it is important to provide them with their own spaces, e.g., a room where they can do their homework or even dedicated events, where the research is presented to children in an age-appropriate manner. Family-friendly activities and playrooms/playgrounds for children were selected helpful by 67 % and 65 % parents respectively. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that parents, as a group, can provide an invaluable support structure for each other, as one respondent said: “If more colleagues took advantage of such an [childcare] offer, the situation would also improve because the children could travel in groups and thus have a `replacement circle of friends' with them.” (translated from German to English). Therefore, organizers might use these existing resources by creating forums that specifically target parents, where they can network ahead of the conference and exchange information and experiences concerning the conference visit with children. Networking is a high priority for caregivers, of whom 39 % named it their main concern. Additionally, rooms for families that serve other purposes, for example breastfeeding rooms are voted helpful by 28 % of parents (Fig. ).

When asked about the possibility of online participation, 76 % of the parents rated hybrid events as important or very important. However, only 3 % of the free text answers by parents included the topic of hybrid events. While parents acknowledged that online participation would mean losing out on some of the conference experience, as one respondent remarked “Hybrid meetings are OK but you are still left behind if you don't show your face. ”, an online participation seemed, for some of the interviewed caregivers, to be the only option to attend at all: “[I prefer] Hybrid or fully virtual conferences. I avoid traveling as much as possible.” Since the COVID-19 pandemic, conferences have taken different approaches on including online participation into their meetings. For instance, the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) alternates between hybrid and fully online meetings for their yearly congress . The MeteoXChange conference is a fully virtual event for early-career researchers in the field of atmospheric sciences created based on the Gathertown platform .

Even though it is convenient to attend an event online, sometimes it is important to participate in a conference in person. To enable participation for parents, a financial infrastructure to cover additional expenses for parents is needed. Of the 66 responses from parents to the question “What would you wish for to increase a family-friendly environment on conferences or workshops?”, 29 included requests for financial assistance from institutions and conference organizers. Some participants stated that financial support for families, when available, is often too low and comes with extensive documentation. Other parents expressed concern that bringing their partner to take care of the child to the conference means that the partner has to take leave for the travel and usually must pay the additional travel and accommodation costs. Conference fees for children or caretakers were said to add to these costs. Also, childcare offered at the conference site was claimed to be expensive at times. Scientists who choose to leave their child at home supervised by the partner or a caretaker said they must either bear the costs for extra hours of daycare, or the partner would have to take leave. Here, in particular family members are taking up support tasks. With 92 % of all fathers and 87 % of all mothers, parents rely heavily on their partner when attending a conference (Fig. a, χ2=19.02, p<0.001 (significant); testing method B). 49 % of women with children state that they sometimes resort to their parents or other relatives and 13 % resort to a babysitter for care taking. Fewer fathers use these options with 28 % and 8 %, respectively. For all age groups of the youngest child (under three, between three and six, and above six years), over 80 % of parents choose their partner as the caretaker. Parents with children under three years rely on babysitters more frequently (33 %) than those with older children (17 %). Additionally, parents whose youngest child is older than six years are more likely to report “No one”, possibly reflecting that older children require less direct care. We do not find a significant difference between mothers and fathers, nor among parents with children of different age groups, in their choice of caretaker when attending a conference. Figure b. shows that parents who frequently attend conferences and workshops are more likely to rely on relatives and friends for childcare than those who attend less often (χ2=6.89, p=0.032; testing method C). Specifically, 23 % of parents that attend only 0–1 time per year selected relatives and friends as caregivers, while 66 % of those attending more than 3 times a year did so.

Parents often reported feeling that caregiving responsibilities remain insufficiently normalized within the academic world. One participant expressed this sentiment with the comment, “Make it normal to have kids”. Parenting is often treated as a solitary challenge and can feel isolating for scientists . Scientists in our survey felt that they are missing out when unable to participate in conferences as fully as their colleagues without children. This sense of being left behind by the scientific community places significant pressure on parents, as one respondent stated: “I can already tell that I'm being left behind by the international community.” Awareness for parents at scientific conferences means recognition of their specific needs by organizers and fellow participants. A lack of awareness can become particularly visible in conference settings. For instance, respondents mentioned difficulties such as session scheduling outside of childcare hours, networking events late in the evening or involving alcohol, no transparent information on childcare facilities, accommodation that is not well-prepared for families and complicated application procedures for financial funding. This aligns with the experiences shared by who report “A common experience was that our colleagues thought that traveling for work with our children somehow meant trying to take our kids on holiday, when in fact we were desperately juggling childcare and our careers”. Increased awareness among conference organizers and attendees could lead to improvements such as more intentional scheduling, the inclusion of family-friendly social events, a more transparent presentation of family support options and a more inclusive culture that normalizes parental responsibilities within academic networking and participation. Fostering a broader culture of family support is a critical part in enhancing work-life balance in academia and the mere presence of family-friendly policies may result in these measures being overlooked .

A recurring theme across survey responses was that parents felt poorly informed about support options at conferences. The lack of transparency on family support options increased the mental load and organizational effort for parents prior to attending conferences. Our survey revealed that 67.4 % of parents do not feel well-informed about support offers for families (χ2=18.71, p<0.001 (significant); testing method B). Parents described a wide range of information gaps that complicated their conference planning. A central concern was about when and where children were permitted during different conference events, one respondent reported “[I wish for] clear communication when and where children are allowed/not wanted – even the conferences with childcare have been vague about (1) if childcare is available during evening activities (it so far never was) (2) if kids are allowed to come to excursions, conference dinners and the like […]”. Several parents indicated that details such as opening hours of daycare, qualifications of caregivers, pricing and registration procedures were frequently hard to find. Uncertainty also extended to financial planning: “tickets are expensive I need to know if I will be able to attend plus no ticket availability for the kids (does my 3 year old really pay a full ticket?) [sic]”. The timing in which support options are communicated was also important to caregivers. One respondent said: “Ask participants before if they will bring kids.” Another stressed the need for “early notification about the schedule so my husband and I can plan who attends what.” Parents noted that a welcoming atmosphere would change their conference experience as a family. One respondent wished for an explicit signal by conference organizers welcoming families: “Just noting that families were welcome and a list of activities they could do while I was busy at the conference events”. A list of activities available for families in the vicinity of the conference venue, offering them options to explore and enjoy their time together, was said to be helpful by other parents as well: “General information for the partner potentially joining would be great – e.g. playgrounds near venue, other child friendly activities”. The survey showed that for several parents visits to the playground for example have improved their conference experience: “At the EGU, we went to the water playground at the Old Danube at lunchtime, which was great compensation for the children coming back to the conference and sitting through a few presentations” (translated from German to English). Encouraging communication among attending parents before the conference, allowing them to connect and network based on shared experiences, was also said to be helpful: “Communication with all potential parents attending so they can network ahead of time (eg number and ages of kids joining)”. Respondents also highlighted that information should reach all caregivers equally: “Women AND men need to have equal info and access to facilities for caring for dependant [sic] individuals”. These findings suggests that improvements to communication and transparency represent an opportunity to improve conference experience for parents. Concrete recommendations arising from these results are provided in Sect. .

Most of the researchers interviewed reported attending conferences and workshops twice or more times per year, indicating that these events play an important role in their professional lives. Interestingly, no significant difference was found between participants with and without children. This suggests that work-family conflict is not directly reflected in the conference attendance rates alone. However, several other factors that were not resolved here need to be considered, such as the career stage of the participants, the caregiving arrangements and the type of conferences or workshops they attend, as this was not specified in the question. states that “primary caregivers (particularly single parents, nursing parents, or parents of special-needs children) are often limited when it comes to the number of conferences they can attend”. Parents might consider attending conferences and workshops that are close to their workplace to avoid long travels or even being able to return home in the evening or attend conferences online, while their childless peers might be able to visit international conferences. As we do not have any data on the type of workshops and conferences the participants attend, we cannot verify this hypothesis. Our data shows that mothers with the youngest children (younger than 3 years) less frequently visit conferences than fathers in this age group. This agrees with the finding of that mothers of dependent children are most affected by tensions between academic work and family life. While the attendance rates alone do not capture the challenges faced by researchers with families, the urgency of family support in academia is clearly shown in this survey as the majority of interviewed parents reported that they missed conferences in the past due to family obligations. Balancing work and family responsibilities remains a major concern, with most academics perceiving parenthood as a disadvantage for their scientific career. Especially female participants shared this sentiment. This finding is consistent with previous research that documents gendered experiences of parental bias in academia e.g.,. For instance, conducted a survey among 995 Brazilian scientists who are parents to investigate the perceived parental bias and found that mothers were more likely to report that they experience negative bias due to their care responsibilities than fathers. Our data reinforce the hypothesis that parenthood, particularly motherhood, remains a structural barrier to equal participation in academia, often referred to as the “motherhood penalty” e.g.,. As one interviewed woman expressed, “I am not directly working in science anymore, because I have kids and want to be there for them”. This personal report illustrates how caregiving responsibilities can shape the career trajectories for women. However, the difference between men and women in their perception of parenthood as a disadvantage for a scientific career was not significant in our data. Fathers and men without children also largely reported an interference of family life and academic work. One interviewed father said “I stopped going to conferences when I had my kid”. This aligns with the findings of , who analyzed the career trajectories of new parents in STEM fields in the US and found that while mothers are more likely than fathers to leave their profession, parenthood affects the academic career of both genders and is not only a “mother’s problem” p. 5. Our study suggests that the frequency in which parents attend conferences also depends on their social support system. The majority of the interviewed participants rely on their partner for care taking when they visit conferences. Additionally, parents who attend three or more conferences a year were more likely to involve a wider social circle for caregiving, such as friends or relatives. As a consequence, this could mean much greater barriers to conference participation for single parents and parents with little support from their social environment. A higher percentage of mothers than fathers in our study have already taken their children to a conference. Nevertheless, about thirty percent of both groups would like to bring their children to conferences in the future. The interest for bringing children to conferences is higher among parents with small children. Our study shows that parents who bring their children along, visit more conferences per year, which suggests that family support at the conference site can increase the participation for parents. The wide range of responses suggests that what constitutes a family-friendly conference differs significantly from one parent to another. Within the results, we identified multiple facets of family support, namely “Family-friendly infrastructure”, “Hybrid events”, “Financial support”, “Awareness” and “Clear communication and transparency”. In agreement with , the need for socio-emotional support as well as tangible support, such as childcare and funding, is evident in the answers of parents.

In our survey, childcare has proven to be one of the most important forms of support for families at conferences. This is not surprising, as it has been suggested by other studies that focus on increasing EDI at conferences . Having professional daycare options free of charge would be a good way to accommodate parents financially. However, especially for scientists with young children and nursing mothers, giving them the possibility to bring their own babysitter or caregiver, i.e. a partner or relative, along, is even more important, since “[Children] need a reference person until a certain age” (Answer of a parent). Accompanying persons can be integrated by allowing them to enter free of charge. In parallel to daycare options, breast-feeding rooms and accessibility with strollers should be provided, because they affect those children who are the most dependent on their parents. In general, rooms that are specifically dedicated to families would be helpful. These can serve a wide array of functions, from the mentioned breastfeeding rooms to a space where parents can watch their children and follow the conference via a life-stream. Depending on the available budget for the event, the rooms can for instance be equipped with toys, nursing chairs or a fridge to store food for children.

The possibility of exchange and networking plays an important role for parents as it is an integral part of the conference experience. Conferences usually offer dedicated networking events, such as coffee breaks, an ice breaker, or a reception and conference dinner. Since these events are often held in the evening and sometimes involve the consumption of alcohol, they exclude scientists with children. Additionally, parents reported that they want to check on their children during the breaks, so that they have no time to network during coffee breaks. Many parents reported not bringing their kids to conferences, because they would miss out on networking events. Actively integrating family life into conferences and creating networking opportunities that welcome bringing children and are scheduled during childcare hours could mitigate the described disadvantages and lead to higher visibility for parents at conferences.

In addition, conference organizers should think about inclusive, hybrid or online options that replace in-person networking. Dedication to digitizing all of the conference events and increasing the virtual experience opens the door not only for families, but also for scientists with other care responsibilities, few financial resources or disabilities. Even though hybrid participation options are important for parents, they cannot be the only support offer in place. The presence of parents at conferences is important to ensure their visibility in the academic community.

Increasing the flexibility in conference fee payments, so that it is possible to join an event for a shorter period meets the needs of those parents that prefer attending the conference without their child. In summary, conference organizers can explore the following policies to reduce costs for parents: (1) free childcare provided by the conference, (2) children and accompanying caregivers may attend the conference at no conference fee, (3) accommodation options for families are listed on the conference website, and (4) travel subsidy for parents who wish to bring their children. As financial support was requested by 26 % of parents, it is a key element to a more family-friendly environment at conferences. Based on their experiences as researchers and mothers, developed recommendations for research grants that consider the needs of parents. As the recommendations address traveling with children, some of their recommendations are also relevant for travel grants offered by conferences. The authors advocate for flexibility in the use of the provided resources, so that they can be adapted to the family situation (e.g., either bringing children along or financing additional childcare at home). Additionally, they propose to simplify the application process for parents to make it more time efficient and recognize that parents have different personal circumstances.

The mental load that parents bear, particularly around non-routine work events like conferences, demands a significant amount of planning. Establishing networks for families can help parents feel less isolated. In this regard, creating an online platform for sharing personal stories and experiences could foster greater sensitivity to these challenges within the scientific community. In addition, educational initiatives such as panels on balancing parenthood with a scientific career during the conference e.g., would raise awareness and advance the conversation. Offering such sessions at conferences would likely lead to greater recognition of family responsibilities that would carry over into everyday work settings. This might give young women who start a degree in geosciences a new perspective on their future, to see personal and professional goals as complementary . This is supported by concluding that “work-family policies are fruitless, unless they are supported by a positive work-family culture”. Furthermore, this would challenge the misconception that struggling to balance work and family is a result of personal shortcomings in talent, commitment, or organization, or of being an inadequate parent .

It is evident that transparency on family support at conferences is a major issue, as the majority of parents reported that they do not feel well informed. For parents, unclear or inconsistent information often means long lead times to arrange childcare, uncertainty about whether funding requests will be approved, time and cognitive effort that has to be spent to advocate for one’s needs repeatedly across different departments or organizers. This is a concerning result, but can be improved by providing easy-to-access information for example through a webpage that gives a clear and detailed overview of all family support options in place and through integrating this information in all important emails, letters and guides distributed before the conferences (cf. Appendix ).

Including the perspectives of scientists without children in this discussion is essential for two reasons: First, to secure their support as allies, and second, because they may eventually become parents themselves. A transformation towards a more family-friendly environment at conferences will impact all attendees. Scientists without children expressed strong support for family-friendly measures. This result is somewhat unexpected, as earlier studies often emphasized a lack of awareness among non-parents regarding these challenges e.g.,. This could indicate a growing recognition within the broader academic community of the structural difficulties faced by caregivers and aligns with the findings of who reports that there is a lot of interest from the scientific community to implement support infrastructure for families. Conference events, where scientists showcase their research to children could help researchers to gain a new perspective on their work and at the same time would be an opportunity to make the conference stay a memorable experience for children. For example, evaluated the impact of translating research into a children's book and found that early-career researchers gained confidence and knowledge of effective research communication.