Careers In Science For Women: How They Can Stay The Course

One of the issues many of my coaching clients mention is how gender disparity often starts with the most insidious things.

I have noticed this often myself. My daughter wants to be an astronaut. She also seems fascinated by physics and engineering and the more traditional sciences. After all, one of her favourite toys is a toolbox we bought her at a garage sale. It warms my heart to see her dream, unshackled by gender norms and societal expectations. I always cringe when shop assistants helpfully point out unicorn slime-making kits for little girls and solar-powered steamboats for little boys.

It’s these little things that bring to mind the MSc dissertation that I did 10 years ago on performance management at one of the departments of Oxford University Medical school. The recommendations were incorporated by the department to apply for and eventually bag the Athena Swan award – a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.

By the time my daughter grows up and is ready to make her career choices, I do hope she will have enough women scientist role models to look up to. For now, because there aren’t enough science books, toys and model kits for girls, she is creating her own robots, spaceships and imaginary cities more from empty boxes, toilet roll cores and so on!

Women in science and engineering: What are the challenges?

As a young girl, I did not see any obstacles to pursuing a career in science. I did my A-level equivalent in Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics but it really did not interest me as much as understanding human behaviour and I eventually made a switch. I have studied the options of a career in science though – through conversations with friends, colleagues and clients who are in various science fields, and through my MSc dissertation.

What I realised is that getting into a scientific profession is not an issue for women. Staying in it is the problem. The problem is the culture that makes it hard for mums who want and need to take time out for having and raising kids to remain competitive. My friend, a mum of three, once said that whilst she was away on maternity leave, her male colleagues could power through in the lab. 

How to prevent women from dropping out of scientific professions

So how can this change? It can, and it will, though the change needs to come from within the home, at the micro level, and then also from the employer, as well as labour and government authorities. 

One of my clients recently told me, “Mothers cannot achieve their full potential professionally without the same level of support that they offer their partners at home  – support that enables their partners to achieve their full potential.” It’s absolutely spot-on. After all, even today, 23 years into the 21st century, we still talk of the mental load on mothers, the multi-tasking that women master and how women are always the primary caregivers. I believe that a fair and equitable split of responsibilities at home is one way to ensure that women who have the potential to be leading scientists, researchers, and physicists (and perhaps astronauts) stay the course in their chosen fields.

Women whose chosen field of science is software, technology and data-driven, may not require a career break thanks to remote working and flexible timings. However, if the responsibilities at home are not shared, they might feel burnout sooner than their male colleagues, or voluntarily opt for a diminished role to be able to handle family pressures adequately.

One way to make both partners split responsibilities at home fairly is to normalise and formalise parental leave for both parents. Once her partner is on leave and committed to taking care of her child, it frees a woman up mentally and physically to return to work.

Scientific organisations must support their female employees through mentoring, sponsorship, training and coaching programmes. Women themselves can do much to keep themselves relevant and competitive in their chosen fields. Higher studies, upskilling, networking and building relationships could help bridge career and knowledge gaps. 

I do wish for a more equitable world for our children. Let’s hope all budding scientists, irrespective of gender, get to marvel and learn about the universe and its infinite possibilities.