I agree, academia is in a bad place. And indeed, women still have to often choose between starting a family or fighting for tenure. I was lucky not to experience toxicity in my workplace, but I've heard and read it is commonplace.

Not sure about the final quoted claim though. If I ever leave academia, I won't feel this will be wasted. Several of the skills I've acquired are transferrable. And I contributed to science during these many years here. It's like saying, company A wasted money on an employee if said employee goes to work to company B after a few years. In that case, nearly all workers in current times are a waste to companies~~