Badhaircut: I am afraid, it is modern capitalism. Only low qualified-employees used to be exploited, nowadays it is time for professionals to be squeezed out for the sake of employers. The more will academics to think about how to survive on small salaries, the less they will have time and energy to ask uncomfortable questions and suggest changes.

It's just supply and demand. It's hard to keep trained staff in rough jobs like bus driving but there are always more than enough PhDers looking for postdocs.

As for putting off e.g. having a family because of the salary, how do you suppose the rest of the population manages with many families managing on less? You just have to cut your cloth according to your means.

It's not so much the poor salary that makes doing postdocs so unattractive, it's the insecurity. It makes it very difficult to settle down and start a family if you're permanently on one or two year contracts. Furthermore, the next job may not even be in the same country. Would you really be willing to up sticks and take your family abroad for yet another one year contract? If you think I'm exaggerating then you're wrong. I know some very competent people currently into double figures on the postdoc tally. I also know of tenure track professorship positions (which, by the way are no easy ride once you land one - 70 hour week anyone?) that attract several hundred applicants. Obviously there's variation amongst the different academic fields and some are easier to succeed in than others, but overall it's really tough out there at the moment.

By the way, if both partners are in academia the situation is even worse as often one must sacrifice their career for the other as you really cannot afford to pass up an opportunity if it arises, sometimes even if that means moving to another continent. This inevitably puts a strain on relationships. All quite depressing really.

Actually I couldn't imagine having at partner not in academia, I don't think many others would understand the pressures and nature of the job. But, saying that, my personal approach is to date someone, um, significantly older and much more advanced in his career than I am in mine. Should we settle down his professorship means he only works 2 days at week at Uni, and ideally mine would require only 3 days or so at Uni, so children would be much easier to manage...

My comment referred to two people both starting out in their academic careers, which I believe is more common than your particular situation, sleepyhead.

Oh that is certainly a big headache - the short contracts. My husband is a long way ahead in his career which is good in that we have financial security and stability but it does mean that there is absolutely no hope of my being able to move to get a postdoc - and that will be a major headache.

It's not that unusual to move a lot with a young family. We have decided not to do that - but I know a lot of people (in alsorts of professions) whose jobs have required a lot of moving. It can work, espeically if the moves slow down or stop as they get a bit older. I see some people having their children while both parents are PhD students and there is some method to their madness. Hopefully at least one parent will get tenure or similar by the time the youngest is ready to settle at school.

My husband is not an academic but very understanding and interested in what I do. He works long hours himself - there are many professions that are pressured with long hours, unfortunately.

Interesting, Sleepyhead that you both expect to work 2 or 3 days a week. I'm hoping to do the same but it is VERY rare where I am. I'm told it has been done - but I have never actually found anyone whose dept actually agreed to it.

Hi Smilodon - well he's in Social Science, as am I. We live in a city in the north, and his uni is in the Midlands. When he moved there last summer he explained that he did not want to move home, and the university said that were he willing to stay 1 night at the uni, and 2 full days, they would guarantee his teaching could be all on one day, leaving a separate day for admin.
At key times of the year he does go down for 3days/2nights, but only when necessary and they are fine with that. But he is relatively senior (the director of his own particular research centre - and his is a well-regarded institution who are probably used to dealing with prominent staff and their whims!!!).

you could do some consultancy on the side to boost your income?