PhD students and postdocs working in chemical laboratories at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) will find it much easier to extend their contracts from this year onwards.

Women who work with chemicals have to stop practical laboratory work immediately if they become pregnant, because many substances are harmful to the unborn child. This means sudden costs for the head of the research group, who usually does not want to or simply does not have the budget. This makes young women hesitant: should they wait to get pregnant until after their postdoc (which can take up to eight years), let their scientific career slip away or take the risk? When this happened to one of Han Zuilhof’s PhD students - a professor of organic chemistry at WUR - he started lobbying for a better approach. After five years, he was successful, says Zuilhof.