Why are women leaving science careers? How to encourage more women to pursue science careers?

Although generations of women struggled for the right to pursue their science and technology careers, nearly half the American and European women scientists have left their careers. It is estimated that if the trend continues and more than half of these women leave their careers by their mid-forties, approximately one-third of all scientists will leave their careers in the next twenty years. This essay will first suggest that the main causes that lead to this problem are family responsibilities and not enough mentors for women in this field and then argue that more mentors for women in science are the most viable solution. There are two main causes of the leaving of female scientists, which are heavy family responsibilities and gender gaps. First of all, even though women are nearing equality in the professional world, the pressures of caring for their families still rests largely with women. According to studies, professional women with children still bear the majority of the responsibilities at home. They spend more time with the children and taking care of the home than men. Biology dictates that women require extended leaves of absence when they are pregnant and give birth, yet to advance in their careers, women cannot afford to take time off until their late thirties, when the optimal time for having healthy babies is ending. Women can devote the necessary attention to neither career nor homelife, often creating intense frustration. Another reason that forces women scientists to drop off their careers is the lack of mentors. Women are not provided with enough mentors, so that women in the sciences go without the support, guidance, and networking needed to lead them through the complications of corporate culture, to validate their ideas and secure funding for research, and to access those who can help them progress in their careers. Despite those advantages, many women are still paid less than men for commensurate work. To tackle this head aching problem, female scientists should be provided with more mentors, who actively help them advance in their careers. Women can trust, to talk to not only about their work and research, but also their career and dreams with their mentors. To conclude, there are numerous factors leading to women leaving their science careers, including family responsibilities and lack of mentors, however, the problem can be solved by the provision of more mentors for female scientists.