24/7 BIOPHARMA - issue 1 / October 2024

WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Equally, have there been times where you have expected that support and sense of belonging only to find it lacking at your place of work? While I do value camaraderie with female colleagues, I haven’t necessarily felt a stronger bond just because of shared challenges in the pharmaceutical field. I believe respect and support come from professional abilities and personal connections, regardless of gender. However, I’ve seen that having a strong network of women can be valuable for career progression and support. There have been instances where I expected more solidarity from female colleagues, but found it lacking – this could be due to individual personalities, competitiveness or even internalised pressure to succeed in a male-dominated field. It’s important to recognise that support isn’t always automatic and can vary depending on the workplace environment. In your opinion, what can we do to increase female participation in the pharmaceutical field? To increase female participation, we need to focus on creating more opportunities for mentorship and support, ensuring that women see role models in senior positions. It’s important that companies have clear policies promoting gender equality and transparency in hiring, pay and promotions. Encouraging women to pursue STEM fields early on through education and outreach is also key. Additionally, companies should foster flexible working arrangements, such as remote work or parental leave, to help women balance demanding careers with family responsibilities. By addressing these structural and cultural barriers, we can make the pharmaceutical industry more accessible and welcoming to women.

Probably, but it hasn’t stopped me from achieving success.

only for advancing careers, but also for providing support, advice and guidance throughout different stages of the professional journey. Seeing women in senior positions helps other women feel safe, assured that they have space to grow, that they’ll be heard and that both genders are equally capable of fulfilling those roles. It’s important to note that women shouldn’t hold prominent positions simply because of their gender. Younger scientists can admire women being recognised for their work, knowing they too can achieve the same success and that men won’t stand in their way. However, it’s also important to remember that the world is full of both good and bad people, and this holds true regardless of gender. Do you feel that financial disparity/ gender pay gap is particularly prevalent in pharmaceuticals when compared to other industries? What more could be done to address this issue and promote the equal advancement of women? This is a good point. Honestly, I’m not sure. As far as I know, gender pay equality can be influenced by political policies and in some countries, pay disparity based on gender is illegal. If this isn’t the case everywhere, it certainly should be. What’s harder to regulate are bonuses or rewards, which are much more difficult to monitor for fairness. The best thing we can do is to ensure that the companies we work for, or aim to work for, have clear policies in place regarding equal pay and gender equality. Have you felt more camaraderie with female staff and colleagues because of the issues you all face in the pharmaceutical field?

Do you think as a female in science you receive enough credit for your work? Have there been times where you were led to believe your contribution was not enough or was inferior? How much of that do you think was down to your gender? To answer the first question, I mostly received the recognition I deserved for my work, proportional to my contributions. However, there were two instances in my academic career where I didn’t receive proper credit. As for the second question, yes, there were times when I was told my background wasn’t a good fit or that my CV was inadequate and that I needed to work much harder to achieve something important. Interestingly, many of these comments came from people who were either competing with me or had far less impressive CVs. It became clear that these remarks were rooted in jealousy or insecurity. I started to view them as back-handed compliments, a sign that my work was making an impact. Does it hurt? Yes, but I continue to give my best and work as hard as ever. Regarding the last question, I don’t believe these situations were specifically related to my gender, though in some cases it might have played a minor role. How important is it that young scientists observe women as mentors, speakers and leaders in their field? How much would that help in feeling a stronger sense of belonging and part of the team? Honestly, I don’t believe that having a sense of belonging requires a female mentor or leader. However, I do think that having a strong network of women is crucial, not