Breaking stereotypes

"Learning to use a space suit, which is like a miniature spaceship, requires hundreds of hours of training; but if the folds of the suit don't match your joints because there is no suit in your size, it becomes almost impossible. And yet some female astronauts have managed it, using the suits available, which were made for men, 'explained Sara García Alonso, reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA) and molecular biologist, in her speech at the 'Dones de Ciència' meeting held today at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Universitat Politècnica de València.

Sara García shared the stage with two other extraordinary scientists, professors Anna Lluch, a leading oncologist and breast cancer researcher, and Pilar Roig, a researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València, responsible for milestones such as the restoration of the frescoes in the church of San Nicolás in Valencia. The three women recounted moments in their personal experience when they felt they had to prove themselves 'three times more' than their male colleagues to develop their initiatives.

You can watch the 'Dones de Ciència' event in full at this link.

More demanding

For Pilar Roig, persistence has always been the key: 'I've had to fight to carry out difficult projects, and they didn't usually listen to me the first time around. So I kept going, and by the fourth time I succeeded'.

That is how she secured funding for a key proposal for work-life balance: a nursery at the workplace. 'My colleagues didn't see it; they preferred to allocate the money directly to research. But I knew, because I had been through it, that to do research you need peace of mind, to be sure that your children are okay.' Oncologist Anna Lluch highlighted the difficulties women face in reaching management positions.

'Medicine is one of the most popular careers among women, but we need to create the conditions for them also to be able to access decision-making positions. Today, to prove her worth, a woman has to be far better than a man; being equal is not enough,' she added. 'It is easy to fall into the trap of familiarity bias. Who gets promoted? If you constantly surround yourself with men, that's who you're going to think of, 'pointed out Sara García Alonso.

Empowering girls

The 'Dones de Ciència' meeting, which was fully booked, brought together 450 attendees, including pre-university students, who submitted their questions to the scientists. Many questions were asked about how to encourage girls' interest in science.

The researchers emphasised the need to banish stereotypes we unconsciously pass on to girls, leading them to think that science or technology is not for them. 'We also need to take care with phrases such as "I'm just no good at...", because if you believe that something isn't for you, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The first exam you fail, you'll think it confirms this belief, and you'll stop trying. But that's not how it works: making mistakes and failing exams are part of the learning process,' reflected Sara García Alonso.

Stimulating girls' curiosity and creating real role models, 'humanising, so that they see that we are real people, with hobbies' also helps to demystify and think 'if she has done it, why can't I?', concluded Sara García. Anna Lluch and Pilar Roig emphasised the importance of conveying how wonderful research is. It was a decision made by all three when they were very young, and one they do not regret. 'I want to continue learning and researching throughout my life; there is nothing more beautiful,' said Anna Lluch.

One person, one scientific career

The aim of the UPV's 'Scientific Artefacts' exhibition is to show the many dimensions of the lives and personalities of prominent female scientists through their personal objects. Among those featured are Sara García Alonso, Anna Lluch, and Pilar Roig, who visited the exhibition before the 'Dones de Ciència' (Women in Science) meeting, accompanied by the curators and artists, Virginia Vinagre and Ella Ahonen.

A scarf representing Anna Lluch's favourite accessory, which 'the patients, who are so kind, have given me; I have drawers full of them'; a book dedicated by Francisco Brines to Pilar Roig, 'whose poetry has accompanied me in bad times'; and an official ESA polo shirt belonging to Sara García are some of the objects brought together in the exhibition.

Both the exhibition and the meeting have been organised by the Cultural Action Area and the Communication Area of the Universitat Politècnica de València, with the support of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.