Does parenthood impact career progression in STEMM? Myths, challenges and solutions.
26 februari 2024 12:00 t/m 26 januari 2024 13:30 - Locatie: on campus, to be decided | Zet in mijn agenda
All (current and future) parents (m/f/x) and all who are interested are warmly invited. Lunch is included.
Parenting and Caregiving No. llI, third in a series, with Dr. Isabel Torres
More women than ever before are pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), yet they remain vastly underrepresented in this sector, particularly in leadership positions. A recent study conducted in the US shows that 43% of mothers and 15% of new fathers leave full-time employment within 3 years of having children, and research by Mothers in Science further revealed that these alarming trends are global.
Dr Isabel Torres will discuss the invisible barriers that hinder the career advancement of caregivers, and especially mothers, and explain why caregiving should be at the center of discussions and interventions to close the gender gap in STEM. She will show data from a pre-pandemic global survey with 9,000 respondents (mothers, fathers and non-parents) in over 128 countries conducted by Mothers in Science to study the impact of parenthood on career progression in STEMM (STEM + medicine). These findings reveal that caregivers face multiple structural barriers and widespread stigma in the STEMM sector with significant penalties on their career advancement and academic success, and mothers are disproportionately affected.
We will have group discussions about the different solutions for the different stages of our careers and what we can do to improve equity for parents pursuing an academic career.
Isabel is co-founder and CEO of Mothers in Science. After completing a PhD degree in genetics at the University of Cambridge and a postdoc at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the UK, she moved to France where she is currently a scientific editor and consultant. Isabel is also an experienced science writer and communicator. For instance, she was a science writer for PLoS and founder of Microscopes4Schools and Pretty Smart Science, a platform that combines science and art to promote scientific literacy and increase the visibility of women in science. She is passionate about promoting women in STEMM and advocating for gender equality and social justice. She is a mother of four children.
