In 1966, Mrs. Weddle's first grade class at Las Lomitas Elementary School got its first homework assignment: We were to find out what our fathers did for a living, then come back and tell the class. The next day, as my well-scrubbed classmates boasted about their fathers, I was nervous. For one thing, I was afraid of Mrs. Weddle: I realize now that she was probably harmless, but to a shy, elf-size, nervous little guy she looked like a monstrous, talking baked potato. On top of that, I had a surprise in store, and I wasn't sure how it would be received.
This is such a great, great article it made me cry. In 2001, faced with a very difficult personal choice between a career in science vs a career in management, I chose the latter because of all the 'equal opportunity' and long-term career flexibility the latter would provide, and also because I couldn't find too many successful women scientists who also had normal family lives. These stories need to be circulated and discussed more widely. And because I loved this article so much, I'm taking out a subscription to PopSci too :-).
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