Women Can Thrive in the Male-Dominated World of Science
/By Mona Jhaveri
It’s common to hear that the world of science, both in business and academia, is male-dominated – and it’s true. In the area of scientific research, women are outnumbered two to one by men. The statistics for women in STEM careers are similarly unbalanced, with men holding 65 percent of positions. To add to the imbalance, I have observed throughout my long career in science that men typically hold leadership positions in these areas.
Sadly, because science has historically been a male-dominated sector, it has led many women to believe they cannot succeed or make a difference in the field when that is simply not true. This narrative is not only misleading but also dangerous because of its potential to rob the field of the valuable contributions women are more than capable of making.
My experience … led me to understand I could play an important role in the biotech space by breaking the funding bottleneck and saving other entrepreneurs from the valley of death. That was when I launched Music Beats Cancer, a nonprofit organization that seeks to increase the number of cancer-fighting technologies in the product development pipeline so more solutions make it to those in need.
I already knew the likelihood of getting venture capital as a woman in the biotech industry was incredibly small, and the fact that both the academic and biotech industries were male-dominated contributed to the challenge – but there was more.
The entire context of forming a career path in science is male-centered and unwelcoming to women who aspire to contribute. From conducting research to launching a startup to raising funding, every step involves components that leave women facing considerable, often insurmountable, disadvantages.
It was obvious to me women brought skills to the world of science that men, for the most part, lacked. For example, while both men and women were commonly engaging when talking about science, I saw how much more creative women were with their approach whereas men tended to be more technical. Scientific concepts can be difficult to communicate, but women have an interesting and engaging way of making difficult concepts fun and understandable. It’s a gift they bring to science.
“I saw how much more creative women were with their approach whereas men tended to be more technical.”
Additionally, I found my journey with motherhood to be a crucial experience in preparing me to be a leader. It provied an opportunity to develop an enormous capacity for caring for others as well as a mentality that sees setting others up for success as a part of your success. Of course, many men are very caring as leaders, but the “maternal instinct” mothers possess helps them further develop compassion, patience, and other soft skills critical to success in science and beyond.
When women see how these skills can give them an advantage, they adopt an empowering narrative for their careers. They start to see that power and the capability to succeed flow from a different source than they have been led to believe.
Women don’t need to become more like men to contribute and advance. Rather they need to bring the unique skills that men typically don’t provide.
Dr Mona S. Jhaveri is the Founder, Executive Director, and Chairman of the Board at Music Beats Cancer. She formed the nonprofit to address the growing gap in research funding. Music Beats Cancer is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, initially launched in Connecticut, that raises funds for cancer-fighting solutions. This is an abridged version of an article, How Women Can Thrive in the Male-Dominated World of Science, featured in the June issue of Exeleon magazine, which highlights transformational leaders in various industries.
