--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If women are doing a Ph.D., they have a…" description: "\"If women are doing a Ph.D., they have a conflict between raising a family or finishing the degree, which is just at the worst time - between the ages o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/freeman-dyson-1435_age_if-women-are-doing-a-ph-d-they-have-a-co_2895629.png" --- # If women are doing a Ph.D., they have a conflict between… ![“If women are doing a Ph.D., they have a conflict between raising a family or finishing the degree, which is just at the worst time - between the ages of 25 to 30 or whatever it is. It ruins the five years of their lives.” quote by Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/freeman-dyson-1435_age_if-women-are-doing-a-ph-d-they-have-a-co_2895629.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/freeman-dyson-1435_age_if-women-are-doing-a-ph-d-they-have-a-co_2895629.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/freeman-dyson-1435_age_if-women-are-doing-a-ph-d-they-have-a-co_2895629.png) > “If women are doing a Ph.D., they have a conflict between raising a family or finishing the degree, which is just at the worst time - between the ages of 25 to 30 or whatever it is. It ruins the five years of their lives.” [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing a Ph.D. and family creates intense pressure for women in their late twenties, often feeling like a loss of valuable years. **In simple terms:** Women face tough choices between career and family in their 20s. Key Takeaway Seek supportive policies and personal balance. Themes gender education career family worklife balance Mood frustrated determined hopeful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - academic planning - family planning - career counseling - policy advocacy Key Concepts social expectations time management career progression Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions better support women scholars? - What personal strategies help manage these pressures? A Different Perspective Limited resources and societal bias can worsen the conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Conflict Raising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict-raising-4089264/) [Degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degree/) [Degree Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degree-just-1135928/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Finishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finishing/) [Finishing Degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finishing-degree-4089263/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Raising a family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raising-a-family/) [Raising Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raising-family-1061004/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-times/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I'm prejudiced about education altogether. I think it's terribly overrated. It wastes a tremendous amount of time - especially for women, it's particularly badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-m-prejudiced-about-education-altogether-i-think-it-s-terribly-2/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Raising a family is life's greatest joy, but it can also be humbling. You cannot do it alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-toole/raising-a-family-is-life-s-greatest-joy-but-it-can-also-be-humbling/) [Erin O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-toole/) > [Being at home is a job in itself and raising a family for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/being-at-home-is-a-job-in-itself-and-raising-a-family-for-sure/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [“He's as ambivalent about raising a family as I am, but he'll do it because I asked him to. And until now, I tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/he-s-as-ambivalent-about-raising-a-family-as-i-am-but-he-ll-do-it/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [I love what I'm doing here but I hate being away from home. I hate it. I look forward to one day raising a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ragan/i-love-what-i-m-doing-here-but-i-hate-being-away-from-home-i-hate-it/) [Chuck Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ragan/) > [Raising a family is difficult enough. But it's even more difficult for single parents struggling to make ends meet. They don't need more obstacles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/raising-a-family-is-difficult-enough-but-it-s-even-more-difficult-for/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [Pre-history tells us that our species used to be a hunter-gatherer society. 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Moyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-d-moyle/) > [“Marriage is about creating a partnership for all kinds of practical reasons—like raising a family, which is easier if you know your partner is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valya-dudycz-lupescu/marriage-is-about-creating-a-partnership-for-all-kinds-of-practical/) [Valya Dudycz Lupescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valya-dudycz-lupescu/) > [You know raising a family in the lifestyle of a professional athlete can be very difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-yount/you-know-raising-a-family-in-the-lifestyle-of-a-professional-athlete/) [Robin Yount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-yount/) > [How do you balance growing the business with raising a family? You just do. I had a business, a lot of orders, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-vernon/how-do-you-balance-growing-the-business-with-raising-a-family-you/) [Lillian Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-vernon/) > [The happier I am in life, the better I'm going to play. But I'm much more interested in raising a family and being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-rahm/the-happier-i-am-in-life-the-better-i-m-going-to-play-but-i-m-much/) [Jon Rahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-rahm/) > [I never got a degree; I just started writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-never-got-a-degree-i-just-started-writing/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I'm not the one going for a biology degree. I'm just a philosophy major who eats people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/i-m-not-the-one-going-for-a-biology-degree-i-m-just-a-philosophy/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) ## More by Freeman Dyson > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“It is impossible to make real progress in technology without gambling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-is-impossible-to-make-real-progress-in-technology-without-gambling/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“Sanity is, in essence, nothing more than the ability to live in harmony with nature's laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/sanity-is-in-essence-nothing-more-than-the-ability-to-live-in-harmony/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“I do not feel like an alien in this universe. The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-do-not-feel-like-an-alien-in-this-universe-the-more-i-examine-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [It makes very little sense to believe the output of the climate models.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-makes-very-little-sense-to-believe-the-output-of-the-climate-models/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [The laws of nature are constructed in such a way as to make the universe as interesting as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-laws-of-nature-are-constructed-in-such-a-way-as-to-make-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [The history of mathematics is a history of horrendously difficult problems being solved by young people too ignorant to know that they were impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-history-of-mathematics-is-a-history-of-horrendously-difficult/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [You ask: what is the meaning or purpose of life? I can only answer with another question: do you think we are wise enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/you-ask-what-is-the-meaning-or-purpose-of-life-i-can-only-answer-with/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [When World War II came along, which was when I was a teenager, we all expected we would have anthrax bombs and this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/when-world-war-ii-came-along-which-was-when-i-was-a-teenager-we-all/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [It has become part of the accepted wisdom to say that the twentieth century was the century of physics and the twenty-first century will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-has-become-part-of-the-accepted-wisdom-to-say-that-the-twentieth/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Lucky individuals in each generation find technology appropriate to their needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/lucky-individuals-in-each-generation-find-technology-appropriate-to/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [A model is done when nothing else can be taken out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/a-model-is-done-when-nothing-else-can-be-taken-out/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [I am hoping that the scientists and politicians who have been blindly demonizing carbon dioxide for 37 years will one day open their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-am-hoping-that-the-scientists-and-politicians-who-have-been-blindly/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Intelligence may indeed be a benign influence creating isolated groups of philosopher-kings far apart in the heavens... 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But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. 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