Taking your child to work

A while back, I posted on the new phenomenon of taking your child to the workplace as an alternative to extended maternity/paternity leave. The NY Times has picked up this topic again in an article that describes how a few companies are allowing for children to be cared for in the workplace. The author notes:

More companies are allowing women — and some men, too — to bring their babies to work. The advantages are clear: The women don’t lose money by taking maternity leave. They can breastfeed conveniently. And they can bond with the baby rather than worry that he or she will develop a closer connection with a nanny or a day-care provider.

I have been thinking a lot about work-life balance culture in the academy lately as I craft a grant proposal on the subject. I keep asking myself what a work-life balance culture in the academy looks like and how does it get established? Are we too far from a collective sense of responsibility, an academic community, to consider bringing kids to work? How does such a policy gain acceptance?