Cover by Caroline Howard

A Woman And A Mother in STEM?

By Blair Bowen

It can be daunting to teach. It can be daunting to work in an environment that’s working against you. It can also be daunting to raise a child at the same time, constantly being pressured to pick a side, being told that you can only do one or the other; you’re not capable of doing both. Daunting, but not impossible.

Old-school beliefs that women should quit their jobs and stay at home to be housewives is an idea that has been suppressed with time, but is still ingrained into a lot of peoples’ minds. It bleeds its way into the STEM field especially, a workplace that places a heavy emphasis on achievement and productivity, while men’s work often overshadows that of their female counterparts. Though our society is pursuing efforts toward making all aspects of life equal for all genders, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. It’s no secret that women in STEM have historically been underrepresented, seen as inferior to their male colleagues, or have had their ideas taken credit for. The popular movie “Hidden Figures” tells the true story of three African-American women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who served as “human computers” for NASA. Their work as mathematicians aided one of the greatest operations in U.S. history: the Apollo 11 moon landing. Serving as integral behind-the-scenes workers, their efforts motivated other women in STEM and inspired NASA’s hiring and promotion of female engineers. They instilled confidence in the United States during the Space Race with Russia in the 1960s. And yet, they were pushed into the background. Their contributions would never have been celebrated if a movie hadn’t been made almost half a century later, after two of them were no longer even alive to see it. But we can’t rely on Hollywood alone to make sure that women who have followed in their footsteps will have their stories heard.

 While this type of behavior is seen in numerous divisions of the workplace, it is particularly notable in the STEM field. According to the University of Missouri-Columbia, “Young boys are often taught that careers in science and technological fields are well suited to their ‘natural’ analytical talents while young girls are often dissuaded from such interests, through suggestions that they lack innate talent in STEM areas.” Essentially, adolescent girls are dissuaded from a possible passion before they are even old enough to make the choice themselves. Dr. Mishaela DiNino, a brand new neuroscience professor here at the University of Pittsburgh, has embarked on the frightening path of new motherhood as well as a new teaching position in the Neuroscience department. She agrees that there is an atmosphere of sexism and misogyny at times in the field: “There is an undercurrent of male dominance in the field, definitely. And in a lot of different departments, there's the feeling that the men are more productive. Especially if the woman has children.” 

DiNino states that it’s not just people in STEM who still carry this mindset, but some in her personal life as well. “My parents are very traditional. And so even when I wanted to do this career, because you are expected to be so productive, and you can be very busy, they just didn't really understand why I wanted to do that.” Added backlash after she had her daughter last year only heightened the strains. “Having my daughter was a little bit of tension because they didn't want me to have to put her in daycare, but I wasn't going to stay home with her. I decided that a long time before I even had her. So it's been a little bit tricky, and they'll make jokes sometimes that aren't really jokes.”

In a study done here at Pitt for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, researchers found “substantial attrition of new mothers: 43% of women leave full-time STEM employment after their first child. New mothers are more likely than new fathers to leave STEM, to switch to part-time work, and to exit the labor force.” Social factors and accustomed beliefs that women are the sole primary caregivers can play into this detrimental and seemingly stagnant statistic. “I feel like it's a daily fight. It's not even like anyone’s telling me to do one thing or another, it's just, you know, there's a lot of guilt for working. You should be at home with your baby. But a lot of times when I'm at home with her, I feel like I should be working just because there's so many things to do,” says DiNino. And even if women aren’t in this percentage and have decided to continue with their career, they can feel immense amounts of this guilt. It plays into a lot of shame mothers can potentially face within themselves for not taking the standard socially acceptable route and staying with their child at all hours of the day.

These statistics and similar personal accounts can be disheartening for future women in STEM who want to have children but have to fight the system at the same time. It’s clear that further representation and action is crucial. Thankfully, increased awareness about overt and ambivalent sexism is finally gaining traction. According to the same study conducted by Pitt, “US institutions have invested considerable energy and resources to attract and retain girls and women in STEM fields; however, gender parity in STEM is far from being realized.” 

 DiNino’s best advice for new mothers in the workplace: make connections. “Definitely connect with other people at your same stage. That was the most helpful for me. I felt a little bit isolated, especially with COVID. But talking to other moms who are in STEM made me realize that we're all going through the same issues and stressors.” She adds that it’s okay to not be the perfect parent. No parent is perfect, after all.

From the time they start considering following their passion, women in STEM can face scrutiny, underrepresentation, and covert sexism. Shame and guilt for juggling the commitments between employment and parenthood can add to this stress, but connections with other mothers who face similar adversity can lessen the load. DiNino, not only facing the challenges of parenthood for the first time but also a new learning environment, can inspire other women who are unsure if they can conquer both responsibilities of parenthood and a career. She and countless others have proven that women and mothers are strong and resilient. STEM cannot succeed without women, and society cannot function without mothers.