Scientifically Speaking
By: Ranjani Rao
Tags: Women, Equality, Work Life Integration, Science, Careers

My career as a scientist has revolved around one goal. To stay in the workplace.

Photo by Amplitude Magazin on Unsplash

Three decades ago, after doing well academically throughout high school, I expressed interest in choosing science as a major in college. My mother was not very supportive. I was surprised at her reluctance. As an educated Indian woman, she was my biggest supporter. But she was also the most pragmatic person in my life.

Her hesitation did not stem from a belief that girls innately lacked the ability to do well in scientific fields. Her concerns were more practical. She could foresee the potholes on the road that I had chosen.

For a woman, balancing home and career is hard enough, even when it is not tied to working in the laboratory. While girls in India may receive the same level of science education as the boys, the abysmally small number of women who continue to pursue a career in science bears witness to this fact.

Fortunately for me, fate intervened. I went to college, got married, moved to the United States, and then pursued my dream of getting a Ph.D. I landed a job before motherhood beckoned. By the time the baby arrived, I had already savored the excitement of working on innovative research in search of better medicines for human diseases.

The challenge of solving complex problems, the thrill of working in laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, and the honor of being in the presence of eminent scientists who I could respect for their scientific knowledge and their humility, was a part of my everyday work life. But reconciling the demands of parenting while watching a chemical reaction in the lab or scheduling breastfeeding in the midst of a molecular biology experiment presents unique challenges.

For women scientists who walk this tightrope, role models are few, genuine supporters rare, and wholehearted well-wishers practically non-existent. Moreover, there is a gender disparity not only in salary but also with respect to opportunities for advancement. It is a miracle that the few women who stick around, actually stay the course.

The ability and drive to succeed in scientific fields is ably demonstrated by distinguished women who have succeeded spectacularly. A handful have won Nobel prizes and many more have tasted commercial success.

While the romance of making it big strikes a chord with some, for most of us trying our best to just get through each day, it is not the lure of phenomenal success that keeps us going. What helps are words of encouragement, a non-discriminating environment, and support from colleagues and superiors that is not condescending.

During the years that I worked in the United States, sometimes I had the dubious distinction of being the only immigrant woman in a meeting. When I returned to India, I was not a racial minority but was the only woman in many conference rooms. It was impossible to ignore the additional burden I carried.

By my presence and influence in that room, I tried to set an example for other women like me who may have started off on par with men while receiving an education, but found themselves unsupported when they tried to follow through.

I saw myself as a symbol of what was indeed possible, although not easy.

Almost twenty-three years since I began my career as a research scientist, I still have days when there are too many unfinished chores and unfulfilled commitments. Why do I continue this juggling act?

Photo by Sai De Silva on Unsplash

When my daughter was in preschool, I remember taking her to my workplace on “Bring your child to work day”. I was fascinated by the concept of taking your children to your workplace, thereby intersecting home and work, the two distinct spaces that formed the continuum of my life.

Given the gender disparity in the sciences, and as a pharmaceutical scientist myself, I wanted my daughter to realize early on that for her, a career in science was very much a possibility.

I remember thinking “It would be worthwhile if I could influence one woman to tread the scientific path, even if that is my own daughter. Who knows, she may even win a Nobel?”

In a few months, she will graduate with a quantitative but non-scientific degree. Does this mean I have failed in my attempt to inspire the person most likely to follow in my academic footsteps? Was I not passionate enough? Should I have pushed her?

When I think back to my own teenage years, I recollect my ambition arising from within myself, with no prompts from family. It was my inherent passion that got me started on my journey and has kept me going despite obstacles that thwart most people.

Perhaps I have not succeeded in getting my child into a scientific career, but I have set an example by my persistence.

As I stand on the sidelines watching my daughter embark on her career, I can only wish her well. And hope she has what it takes to run the long race. In life, as in science, perseverance is a better indicator of success than talent.