In a recent scandal, a UC Davis veterinary school professor distributed a poll to his students asking them to vote on whether he would make accommodations for a student missing part of his class to give birth. The situation is described in more detail in this article in Inside Higher Ed. Unlike many similar outrageous situations, this one has been resolved in a satisfying and appropriate manner. UC Davis has taken action against the offending professor as well as asking his to resign as the chair of the vet. school. The blogger who originally broke the story says
If other students had medical conditions or illnesses, everyone would expect an accommodation, but pregnancy is treated differently, and it is treated as a problem and a disruption and as the fault of the [pregnant] person.
More close to home, there are many obstacles to be overcome for any female graduate student in GS who becomes pregnant. In fact, while several male graduate students have become fathers while working on their GS Ph.D.’s, there is no female graduate student in recent memory who has attempted to become a mother. If you’re interested, take a look at the minimal accommodations set forth in the Academic Student Employees’ union contract.