Women in Science
Messages for others thinking about a career in science
Video clip: Elspeth suggests that women should make sure they have a supportive partner if they want to have children. She thinks that the career structure is getting more difficult to navigate.
Have you got any messages for women thinking about a career in science?
Yes, do it if you really love it but make sure that if you have a family, you have a supportive partner who can help you with the children, and that it’s not always you collecting. But you can work round that. I think it’s really important to try and work that out ahead of time a bit. If you’ve both got big jobs, it’s really tough to do that. But I think it’s a very rewarding job. Career is a bit tricky. The career structure is quite difficult to navigate and I think is becoming more difficult to navigate. I wouldn’t say I had a career. I had a series of happy circumstances which mean that I now have a job but I think you’ve got to be a bit more bloody minded than I was, now, to make it.