Mothers in Science

Meet our fabulous new member! Tatyana Barron is a mother and professor in mathematics at the University of Western Ontario (Canada). She is passionate about her research and about inspiring the younger generations to understand the beauty of mathematics. In an interview with our team, she explains what drove her to pursue an academic career and shares the challenges of leading a research group while raising children, as well as what helped her to overcome those obstacles. Read her full interview: https://lnkd.in/guKkV6w4 #WomeninSTEM #MemberSpotlight

Upcoming Event Alert! Are you ready to enhance your assertiveness and boundary-setting skills in the workplace? Join us on September 10th for an interactive SciMom Chat workshop, where you’ll learn effective strategies to communicate confidently and establish healthy boundaries. This session, led by Catherine Delisle—Senior Conflict Resolution Practitioner at the National Research Council (NRC) in Canada—will equip you with practical tools to boost your STEMM career. During the workshop, you’ll: ✅Understand the origins of assertiveness ✅Learn to formulate powerful ‘I’ messages ✅Identify ways to set boundaries ✅Explore the Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Model ✅Assert yourself effectively without being perceived as aggressive This is a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals in a supportive environment. Don't miss out! 🗓️ Date: September 10th 📍 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eQN5RNjf Members: FREE Non-members: 10 EUR Members can attend all webinars and workshops for FREE and have exclusive access to the event recordings. Check the other benefits and become a member here: https://lnkd.in/eTs5We4x We offer ticket wavers and membership discounts to solo parents, jobseekers, and individuals from developing nations or struggling financially. Apply for a ticket waiver and/or a membership discount: info@mothersinscience.com #WomenInSTEM #SciMomChat #Assertiveness

I come from a multicultural and multilingual Russian/English/Irish family of teachers who traveled frequently during my childhood, calling many places home, including China and Vietnam. Constantly switching countries and education systems taught me to adapt to anything while staying endlessly curious and open-minded. In middle school, inspired by a profound interest in science and my kind-hearted nature, I aspired to a career in medicine. However, the nomadic lifestyle and financial limitations of my family forced me to abandon this dream, a decision that left me heartbroken. Years later, settled in Hungary with my expat husband and our four children, I found myself teaching, running a business, and completing a business degree remotely. Until one day, I decided to pursue my old dreams and started preparing for medical school entry from scratch while managing both work and family commitments. Some advised me to hide my motherhood from the admissions committee, suggesting it might hurt my chances. However, I embraced my role as a mother in every application and interview, believing my hard work, passion, and dedication should define me. Now, in 2024, I am a mother of four and a top-performing third-year medical student. I've taken on additional roles as a dedicated student researcher, an advocate for women in STEMM, and a creator and host of a women-in-STEMM interview series. My commitment extends beyond personal achievements; I strive to redefine the perceived limitations placed on mothers and encourage others to chase their dreams, however challenging they may seem. Reflecting on my journey, the most important piece of wisdom I wish to pass along is this: If you’re scared – good, do it anyway, do it scared. Never let anyone define the limits of what you can do or who you can become. If you fall today and there are tears rolling down your cheeks, get up and try again tomorrow with a smile and a strengthened belief in yourself and your dreams. You are the creator of your own story! Looking back on the journey, I feel pride, gratitude, and hope. I couldn’t have pursued any of it without the support of my amazing family and friends, especially my husband and mother-in-law, who always believed in me. Victoria.

Susan Wojcicki served as CEO of YouTube for nine years during a period of massive growth and was Google’s 16th hire in 1999. She was a trailblazer who shattered glass ceilings and revolutionized the tech industry. Her visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of innovation transformed the digital landscape. She was a fierce champion of women in the workplace, offering generous family benefits and paid maternity leave. “At YouTube, it’s been an opportunity for me to be able to help other women,” she once said. “I see the potential that women have. And I enjoy being a mentor, figuring the best way for them to balance work with family.” “Her impact on our family and the world was immeasurable,” her husband Dennis Troper shared. We couldn’t agree more. Susan’s legacy will forever inspire us to dream bigger, break boundaries, and champion women in every space.

As summer unfolds, this is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of taking a well-deserved break. Balancing the demands of academia with family responsibilities is challenging, and carving out time for yourself and your loved ones is essential for overall wellbeing. But we now that’s easier said than done… With that in mind, we've prepared a list of tips to help you make the most of your summer vacation: 1. Prioritize self-care: Take time to recharge and nurture yourself. Whether it's a day at the beach, a hike in nature, or simply relaxing with a good book, prioritize activities that YOU enjoy. 2. Set boundaries: Define clear boundaries between work and personal time. Use this break to switch off and focus on quality moments with your family and friends (or on your own) without the constant pull of emails or research. 3. Change setting: Although a “staycation” might be tempting if you’re feeling drained or burnout, if you have the budget it’s worth making the effort of organizing a trip with your family or friends. Changing scenery and breaking the routine is essential to disconnect and truly rest and recharge. 4. Explore: While on vacation, seize the chance to try a new hobby or activity, either alone or with your family or friends. Doing something new and different is energizing, promotes closeness with your loved ones and creates longlasting memories. 5. Disconnect: Log off from social media or reduce scrolling as much as possible. We know it’s so easy to fall into the social media trap, especially when we’re tired, but the benefits of decreading screen time and being present in the moment really pay off. And you are setting a good example for your children. We hope this helps and we wish you a restful and memorable summer vacation! #Self-care #SummerVacation #MothersinScience

📢 Deadline Extension Alert! We are excited to announce that the application deadline for the second round of OWSD's new scholarship for refugee women scientists, the Women in Science Displacement Outreach Master's Program (OWSD WISDOM), has been extended! ✨ New Deadline: 15 August 2024 In this second round, OWSD offers fully-funded master's degree scholarships for women refugees in scientific fields at Istanbul Aydin University in Türkiye. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to advance your education and scientific career! 🔗 Apply before August 15 at bit.ly/wisdomIAU2024 Spread the word and encourage eligible candidates to apply! #ScholarshipOpportunity #WomenInScience #RefugeeWomenScientists #OWSDWISDOM #HigherEducation #IstanbulAydinUniversity #STEM

Leadership & The Motherhood Penality What do these five U.S. Presidents have in common? George Washington, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, and James Buchanan -all had no biological children. Yet, successful women in prominent leadership positions frequently face undue scrutiny and criticism in ways their male peers do not. They face discrimination in the work place place whether they have children or not. Two high profile women have recently faced unwarranted negative attention about their motherhood status - Taylor Swift has been a recent target, and now Vice President Kamala Harris. These high-profile cases highlight the discrimination women face in the workplace based on their parental status. A Harvard study* measuring the “motherhood penality” showed that: 📌Competency ratings for mothers were 10% lower compared to non-mothers with similar qualifications. 📌Mothers were seen as 12.1% less committed to their jobs, while fathers were viewed as 5% more committed than non-fathers. Mothers were rated 6.4% lower in commitment than childless men. 📌Mothers were 6 times less likely to be recommended for hire than childless women and 3.35 times less likely than childless men. 📌Childless women were 8.2 times more likely to be recommended for a promotion than mothers. Childless women received 2.1 times more callbacks than equally qualified mothers. 📌Mothers could be late 3.16 days per month before no longer being recommended for hire, compared to 3.73 days for childless women. Fathers could be late 3.6 days per month, compared to 3.16 days for non-fathers. 📌 Mothers were recommended a starting salary 7.9% lower than non-mothers ($139,000 vs. $151,000), and 8.6% lower than fathers. Fathers were offered a starting salary of $152,000, compared to $148,000 for childless men. This sheds the light on the difficulties wime face climbing to the top of leadership and building successful careers. Yet gebder balanced leadership is beneficial to society. It's time to move beyond stereotypes and allow women's leadership to flourish. By doing so, we enable these remarkable women to serve as role models for the next generation of leaders. (*Harvard Study by Shelley Correll , Stephan Benard and In Paik: “Mothers face penalties in hiring, starting salaries, and perceived competence while fathers can benefit from being a parent”) #womensleadership #motherhood #rolemodels #DrAnink

📢Now open: the Call for Applications for the 2025 OWSD-The Elsevier Foundation Awards for early career women scientists from the developing world. We welcome applications from women working in this year's priority area of #SDG3, inclusive health. All details @ https://lnkd.in/d_zgxDKq

On July 12th, we honor Malala Yousafzai, a symbol of courage, resilience, and dedication to education and equality. Malala's journey from a young girl advocating for education in Pakistan to becoming the youngest Nobel Prize laureate is a testament to the power of one voice to change the world. We are inspired by Malala's relentless pursuit of education for all girls. Her story reminds us that every mother, every woman, and every girl has the potential to make a profound impact on the world, no matter the obstacles they face. As Malala once said, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” Let's continue to champion empowerment and equal opportunities for women and girls everywhere. Together, we can build a world where every child can learn, grow, and succeed. Join us in celebrating Malala Day and reaffirming our commitment to supporting mothers in STEMM as they inspire the next generation of changemakers. #MalalaDay #EducationForAll #WomenInSTEMM #MothersInScience #GenderEquality

Shortly after moving to the US in 2013, my spouse Ana and I planned to start a family. Life had other plans. Between a brutal terrorist attack that left us wondering if we had made the right choice, life as an immigrant on a visa, and the low pay of a post-doc in the US, we struggled to make ends meet. Things stabilized a bit when we both got our postdoc positions and so we decided it was time to start a family. All was fine until she came home one day with news: her employer had let her go! Funds had run out, they said. We knew they hadn’t: a friend had just been offered a position in the same lab! Ana was let go from her job, going from being “essential to the lab” to “funds have run out.” When our daughter arrived, daycare was a daydream. We lost a first-month deposit we made to secure a daycare, as we couldn’t afford our child to be there anymore. My requests for pay increases were denied. Being on a dependent visa, Ana had to interrupt her career not once but twice! I couldn’t do the same, or we had to leave the US. To ensure our daughters were fed, we skipped meals, lived in challenging conditions, and did the best we could. Things eventually did get better. I got a job in a biotech company, which paid better. Eventually, I had the privilege of returning to academia and a total of four children, but at a high cost for my spouse. Daycare costs are a whole paycheck and daycare workers are highly underpaid. Visa restrictions are a huge source of stress. Gender inequality and lower pay in science end up being a very effective gatekeeping tool. An academic science job is challenging to afford and justify as a parent. Is it worth it? I think so. I have hope. I hope that I and others can change this system that so desperately needs mothers but is then openly hostile to them. A system that asks mothers to justify career breaks and family leave, and has no options for daycare. I think I can perhaps be in a position to help recruit women in science, promote them, and encourage them to take time off without limitations, like Ana deserved. Joao.