Financial challenges faced by PhD researchers around the world
Many are protesting stipends that see them work for below minimum wage
A national survey by the Ottawa Science Policy Network has revealed that graduate students in Canada are under immense financial pressure, struggling to get by on stipends that have remained at the same level since 2003. The average PhD student receives C$24,000 (£14,700) a year – significantly below minimum wage. The Support Our Science campaign is putting pressure on the federal government to improve the levels of support available. PhD researchers elsewhere in the world are also struggling, and are increasingly protesting the low stipends and lack of employment rights available to them.