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Ladies, Want a Career in Science? Want to Have a Family? Pick One

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Alison Fairbrother
Alison Fairbrother
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When you read the word "scientist," what image comes to mind? Is it a white man in a lab coat? Now imagine this scientist sitting at a desk. Next to the scientific implements and computers, among the beakers and baubles, are there framed pictures of family?
Chances are you did not picture a female. And perhaps not surprisingly, results of a recent survey of 1,300 female and male scientists suggest that female scientists might be making significant personal sacrifices to achieve professional goals. The survey, commissioned by L'Oreal, in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), revealed that 61percent of female respondents were struggling to balance their personal lives and their careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (the so-called "STEM" fields).
Female respondents were less likely to be married or in long-term relationships than their male counterparts (77 percent of women compared to 91 percent of men), and significantly less likely to have children (53 percent of females versus 77 percent of males).
Ninety-eight percent of women who participated in the survey said they knew a female colleague who had left the field because of barriers to her professional success. One in three women cited barriers to having and raising children. Fifty percent of female scientists reported challenges with child-care support, and more than half experienced gender bias in the workplace.

Women in science are not alone. In law, finance, and many other fields women fight barriers and unequal access. A tiny 2.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and women make up only 16 percent of equity partners in large law firms. But as ladies continue to break the glass ceiling, new policies and programs are required to help them avoid the shards.
At the "For Women in Science: 21st Century Policy and Politics" panel in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, female scientists recommended a variety of solutions, from top-down policy measures to more institutional support from universities to encouraging women to stand up for their needs on an individual basis.
Shirley Malcolm, the head of education and human resources at AAAS, said it is no longer a question of convincing people that women can do the science (16 of 304 Nobel Laureates in the hard sciences in the last 103 years have been female), it is a question of whether work environments are made accessible to female scientists who traditionally face gender discrimination and often have a harder time balancing work and family.

Dr. Sara Seager, a professor of physics at MIT, said that after a recent speech she gave about balancing the demands of scientific research with family life, a young woman came up to her with tears streaming down her face and said, "You are the first incredibly successful female scientist I've met who also has children." Women have not in the past been good at negotiating their salaries or being firm about needing to go home at reasonable hours for family obligations, Seager said. We could achieve more respect and get more of our needs met if we strive to project confidence and assurance to our male peers, she suggested to the audience.
Maybe it's just me, but I get depressed at gender-specific conferences when I hear strong women talking about how we have to summon super-human levels of self-assurance in order to change the way we are perceived and treated. This seems like less of a solution to the problems women face in the workplace and more of a coping mechanism -- one that may deflect male chauvinism but not address its root causes. It implies that if women get emotional, say, or falter for a moment in our unwavering belief that we are capable and deserving, the ramifications are our responsibility.
Why should we have to self-correct our behavior instead of being allowed to be ourselves? I'm not suggesting that we strive for timidity, but I don't like the idea that women may think they are somehow responsible for sexism in the workplace because men have made a unilateral decision that uncertainty is the opposite of confidence.
But these subtler perceptions are the modern-day vessels for ancient, persistent misogyny. Gone are the days when women will be turned away from top schools on the basis of gender, but recent research suggests that many science practitioners still harbor "unconscious bias" when it comes to females in their laboratories and classrooms. A report by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) showed that implicit bias against women in the sciences may go beyond influencing individual behavior, and may actually create gender differences in performance, thus reinforcing stereotypes that men are better than women at science and math.
So how do we unlearn these socially embedded prejudices? Dr. Joan Steitz, a professor Molecular biophysics at Yale University School of Medicine, said that concrete government intervention on behalf of women has made a difference in the past. She cited the work of George Shultz, U.S. secretary of labor from 1969-70, who told university boards that they would risk losing their federal funding if they didn't have plans to increase the number of women on their faculties. Not surprisingly, this led to a dramatic expansion in the number of women on the university payroll. Greater numbers of women in the science fields is bound to affect attitudes toward female abilities, she implied, which will in turn necessitate that institutions pay more attention to the specific needs of women.
Other strategies mentioned in the panel included encouraging scientists to take a test to help them learn more about how their unconscious perceptions might affect their attitudes toward women. Russlynn Ali, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, suggested that women make better use of Title IX, a part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in education programs receiving federal assistance. Title IX needs to be more aggressively used to defend the rights of women in the STEM fields, the panel argued. There is a federal mandate that all institutions receiving government funding should have a Title IX compliance officer, but few institutions are up to date on the regulations.

Panelists advised the audience to actively seek out female mentors, and suggested petitioning academic programs to take small steps toward change, like scheduling colloquia and forums during the day, instead of in the evenings when many female scientists have to pick up school-age children or head home for family obligations.
Shirley Malcolm recommended that academic institutions make identifying gender discrimination a regular part of the auditing process, rather than relying on women to submit discrimination claims individually. Writing claims is a surefire way for women to be marginalized within their own profession, she said.
The barriers that keep women from succeeding in scientific fields have ramifications for all of us, Seager argued. "Continued scientific innovation in the U.S. and remaining competitive in the global marketplace will require making use of the copious talents of female scientists, and supporting them as they pursue dual goals in the personal and professional spheres. "This really matters for America's future," she said.
Sitting in the gilded Library of Congress surrounded by the looming busts of looming men (was it my imagination, or did I sit next to James Madison?), with our coffee cups and our Dannon Light yogurt (it was a forum for women, so the yogurt was low-fat, naturally), listening to distinguished panelists talk of their careers and their children, it seemed so obvious: invest in solutions to make it easier for women to remain in the STEM fields while achieving personal goals like having a family.
But as I looked around at the young female scientists who came to learn and celebrate, I thought I could see creases of worry in their faces. And why not? The room was brimming with talented women who understand our worth and are convinced of our potential to contribute. But we were also a room full of women in disciplines populated by people who may, subconsciously or not, believe in our inferiority, which perpetuates a gendered system that makes it difficult for female scientists to have a career and a family and to succeed at both. And unless our government and academic institutions take action to make it easier to balance work and home life, we are women who may be forced to choose.

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Filed Under: Woman Up
Tagged: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of University Women, Dr. Sara Seager, Gender bias, Gender discrimination, Work-life balance
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11 Comments

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charistuers41

A don't think a stunning career compares to the fullfillment and sense of accomplishment I get from being a good Mom to my two boys. Would never, ever sacrifice what's best for my family for my career. I have an engineering degree and am a commissioned officer in the Reserves as well. I have intentionally chosen to not try and work my up, simply because I don't want to take that time away from my family. Not saying it's not possible, because it is, but there is always a sacrifice involved. I'll stick with the 40 hour work week, have a life, and enjoy my children while they are still young. If I can raise two caring, un-selfish, well-mannered, intelligent boys to adulthood I will have achieved something greater than anything I will do in the workplace and not be remembered for.

November 06 2010 at 4:06 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Victoria

Im a young woman in a STEM diciplin at a major univercity. i will be the first to acknologe not only the difficult of the field but of the personal sacrifices made by both men and woman in them. Why society oes put more social preseure on woman as far as geting married an rasing a family goes, its important to acknolege that it can be a struggle for both genders in a demanding field. There should be beter support sysstems in place for both women and men to take advantage of. So we can all do good work in science and be their equally for our children and families.

October 28 2010 at 9:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rnflowr

I am a women working in technology, and love it. Yes, there's a high demand for our time, but I also have plenty of time to pursue outside interests (which for me are actually NOT a family at the moment, if ever). It's important to point out that we are free to choose are careers and professions, and our personal goals. Making them happen is our purpose as an individual. The only thing I question about this article is - why ask for government help? Aren't we strong, independent individuals who are also women? I personally do not wish to ask an authority to help me achieve any of my goals - I will make them happen myself. I think it's sad that as women we seem even more eager to turn to the government for help with our 'problems'. Governments just take money from others, and pick the winners and losers - let's stop promoting it. As women, let's live by example and make good things happen using voluntary interactions between people, not governmental intervention.

September 30 2010 at 12:56 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
johdaflow

Since the author mentioned white man in the first few words, it is likely that most people did not picture a woman. Just saying.

September 30 2010 at 11:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dr. Pollock

If you want a career in science and want balance in your life, I suggest you look for jobs as technicians that pay hourly. If you want an upwardly mobile career in s scientific field and want to make a true contribution, you will have to work as hard as the rest of the pack. We are not talking a 40 hour week. Try 50 or 60. Read technical journals in your free time. The hard sciences reward workaholics and the brilliant. If you are average, you have to push and that means giving things up. I have my own regrets about what I have lost, but I am a technology leader. You pay the price or you have no mobility. I'm not saying there isn't any sexism, but it is no picnic even when that is not there.

September 29 2010 at 9:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Dr. Pollock's comment
nowafewthoughts

It's not just you who "sacrificed" so you could follow your dreams. Your children, if you have them, likely suffered greatly and, of course, they had no say in the matter; you forced this on them by not taking a stand. Since you are a "technology leader" all the more shame on you for not taking a stand. This pack mentality of 50-60-70 macho hour work weeks is also unproductive, I believe, in that it develops a narcissism in the so-called "brilliant" who get ahead.

September 29 2010 at 11:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rnflowr

nowafewthoughts - We are not 'forced' to do anything career or family-wise. All of the above are personal choices. Some careers are more demanding than others, whether you're a man or a woman. There's no reason you can't work to find a position that works for you as well. And if they're not out there, create it! Maybe this just shows that there's a demand for a science/tech company with incredibly flexible hours and work arrangements? And I also work VERY hard to keep up-to-speed technology wise for my job, but also to continuously learn and challenge myself. Total? Easily 50-60-70 hours, and why shouldn't I be able to do that? I probably AM better than the 40-hour-only people, and what's wrong with that?

September 30 2010 at 1:04 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Jorge

Not for nothing, but this is what the MAN sacrifices to help provide a roof, food, clothes, etc. And this economy does nothing to help with the taxes and barriers the US govt places on MARRIED couples. Women are given the leeway to choose between the two. The man is given NO leeway. Suck it up. This is what YOU call equal. This is the sacrifice MEN must make on a daily basis. And we are being scolded because we are expected to do the housework and everything else. I don't feel sorry for the MODERN woman. This is what they wanted, now they are crying about it. Nothing wrong with ambition. But there are sacrifices that occur. Can't have your cake and eat it too....

September 29 2010 at 5:31 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jorge's comment
nowafewthoughts

Your post makes no sense to me: What is the "this" in this "this is what the MAN sacrifices" "The man is given NO leeway." You can have leeway; my post below is aimed at getting at just that. You would be required to adopt an attitude of equality with women both in ambition and unpaid domestic stuff and in parenting, and you would need to learn to ask for and advocate for this, not just whine. I don't understand why you are blaming "MODERN" women and what you are blaming them for. Please be more specific.

September 29 2010 at 6:13 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
nowafewthoughts

Good article. I was disappointed that fathers' roles in parenting and caring for children was not mentioned. One of the things holding women back is this clinging to primary parent power. I know we've had it hard and the only power we've traditionally had is this type of "mother power" but it is really causing a lot of problems that modern, educated women are not moving on from this, choosing men who want to co-parent and can handle it, and getting themselves freed up to focus on their work when needed.

September 29 2010 at 5:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to nowafewthoughts's comment
brutusx11

I completely agree. The article didn't address why the barriers to work-family balance are higher for women than for men.
I think a very good understanding of this is key to addressing the issue of gender equality in STEM fields.

January 10 2011 at 9:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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