Why more women should consider a career in science

Girls currently make up more than 50% of GCSE students studying science yet less than 10% per cent of professorships in the UK are held by women. Only 2.5% of Nobel Prize winners are female.

Why should young women consider a career in science? Some of the UK's top female scientists share their views.

Dr Tamsin Mather
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

"I always enjoyed science at school but I had fairly narrow ideas about what careers it might open up for me. I've ended up with a career in volcanology, which certainly wasn't what my 18-year-old self would have predicted.

"Part of the appeal has always been the opportunity of finding things out for myself. During one field campaign to Masaya volcano in Nicaragua as a PhD student I remember plotting up the data from the day and realising that we were the first people to discover that hot volcanic vents convert atmospheric nitrogen so that it becomes available to plants. It was a thrilling moment with possible implications for the origins of life.

"These days with teaching and other university commitments, as well as young children, I get into the field less often than I used to. Much of the research I do now is supervising PhD students but I still get the same thrill from getting new data in and working with them to make sense of it. Every now and then you get a moment when you really feel that you've pushed a little at the limits of human knowledge.

"These challenges and thrills for me make a career in science one of the best around! I most certainly think that it is a career that young women should consider."

Prof Ottoline Leyser, professor of plant development
University of Cambridge

"Research science involves working in a team to think up ideas about how the world works and then testing them. It is creative, exciting and extremely satisfying, especially if your ideas turn out to be wrong. The skills you learn and the knowledge you gain can lead you in many directions, providing routes into a wide range of fulfilling and interesting careers. Forget geeks in white coats – scientists can be anywhere and everywhere."

Prof Naomi Chayen, professor of biomedical sciences
Imperial College London

"A career in science is dynamic, leading to many varied and stimulating outcomes. A scientist's efforts can make a difference to people's everyday lives. Transportation, communications, construction and medicine, are all based on scientific and engineering findings and inventions for instance.

"In science, you do not do the same thing everyday and it is especially suitable for women who juggle career and home activities because many of the jobs involving science do not demand rigid hours and allow flexibility. There is also scope for creativity, with opportunities to change direction and expand.

"When starting off, I was keen to go on to a job immediately and therefore chose pharmacy. However my degree involved doing a project which got me interested in research and led me to academia. Being a scientist took me to things that I would have not thought that I would ever do, like research in space"

Dr Sue Black, senior research associate
Software Systems Engineering Group, University College London

"Now is such an exciting time to be alive, especially if you are female. The world is changing all around us and science is driving that, particularly technology.

"My grandmother's generation had to leave work when they got married to spend their time running the home. My mother's generation had the pill and burned their bras but didn't live in an equal world. Today there are so many opportunities for women and nowhere as exciting as in technology. Computers and software are revolutionising our lives, we can meet and get to know people virtually across the world and collaborate with them to make the world a better place.

"Give yourself the tools you need to be a decision-maker in the social revolution by studying and working in technology."

Prof Charlotte Watts, director
Social and Mathematical Epidemiology Group in the Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

"It's important that girls get into science. Just as women are breaking the glass ceilings that stopped them leading in business, they also need to take their rightful place within the scientific community. As well as being good scientists, women are often natural problem solvers and team players – skills that are as essential in science as in business.

"We need the best minds from a range of scientific disciplines and backgrounds to help us address the major problems of today, such as global warming, poverty and HIV/Aids. For too long scientific debate and priority setting has been dominated by men. Especially as many of these problems impact disproportionately on women, it is important that women are actively engaged in finding solutions to these problems."

Dr Kate Jones, senior research fellow
Zoological Society of London

"A typical day might involve tromping about rainforests listening to bats, or setting up conservation projects with local people in the depths of Russia, giving a talk somewhere or listening to whether sea monsters really do exist, or planning a new research project, or maybe creating a new smartphone app.

"Being a scientist helps me understand the amazing diversity and evolution of life and gives me freedom to answer questions that most interest me. This amazing job has taken me all over the world meeting people and wildlife I only imagined. Why on earth would you want to do anything else?"

Dr Sandrine Heutz, senior lecturer
Department of Material, Imperial College London

"Central to a career in science is of course the thirst for knowledge and determination that naturally derive from an inquisitive mind – anyone who loves science should consider making a career of it, in particular women.

"Women are just as gifted as men, and have a unique capacity for building bridges between subjects and people that is increasingly needed in the age of interdisciplinary science. A more flexible working environment as well as many positive initiatives from departments and funding bodies now ease the practical issues of a demanding career, so that you can concentrate on the joy of discovery, and maybe on changing the world."

Dr Victoria Hodges, attitude and orbit control systems engineer
Astrium Ltd

"I've often been asked what it is that so fascinates me about physics and the answer is simple: it can help you find the answers to anything and everything. Physics is like a master key that can open any door, there are so many different areas of physics and a career using physics is unbelievably rewarding.

"Physicists will always be highly desirable in so many professions due to their ability to solve problems and apply logic, but they also bring a different perspective to many fields, for example to engineering. One of the things I love about my job is being able to say that my name is on something that is out there in space. To me that really is amazing."

Dr Christine Watson
Cambridge Cancer Centre, University of Cambridge

"The world needs science and the brightest young people to become scientists. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make an impact on world health?

"Why follow a career in science? For me it has been an exciting voyage of discovery and a lot of fun. Every day is different and I meet interesting people all the time. It's a challenging job that makes you independent. It is inspiring to work with bright and enthusiastic young people, to teach them and to direct their careers. Being a scientist does not mean that you have to give up a personal life – I have been married for 35 years and have two children.

"My goal is to find a therapy for breast cancer and this makes the hard work worthwhile."

To hear more from women in science, there is a Soapbox Science event at London's South Bank on Friday 22 July, in association with the L'Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science programme and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

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