Motherhood has a way of halting, or at the very least, slowing down a woman’s career. Even when it’s planned, there is a certain loss a career woman experiences when she becomes a mother and has to take a few months off to care for their newborn. In an industry where women remain relatively rare, this process can even be worse, with many mothers struggling to find their place in the industry after taking their maternity leave.
However, Mothers in Science hopes to change that.
Mothers in Science is global organization that targets mothers, advocating for more inclusion of mothers in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine).
Mothers in Science is a non-profit organization founded in France by Isabel Torres and Sonal Thadane in 2019. Since then, the organization has grown exponentially, having a presence in several countries, including France, Canada, Singapore, US, UK, Portugal, Finland, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand.
What Mothers in Science Does
Mothers in Science has several aims:
- First, they aim to connect with, support, and empower mothers in STEMM.
- Increase the awareness of the structural and societal barriers that mothers in STEMM face.
- They also are calling for equality at the workplace to be inclusive of parents and caregivers in STEMM.
- They conduct research into what obstacles mothers in STEMM encounter that hold them back and come up with developing policies and interventions to help mothers stay in STEMM.
- Break the gender stereotypes around pregnancy and motherhood, and eliminate the bias and discrimination they face.
Mothers in Science has also mobilized 18 other organizations worldwide to demand that leaders take action against gender inequalities, especially in research funding.
Thus, if you want to stand in solidarity with mothers in STEMM, you can join by signing up here. If you are an institution, sign up here.