Motherhood and Career Progression in STEM
Gender differences in career progression after women or men have children are often anecdotally explained by differences in ‘biology’ or personal choice – and these motherhood myths conceal the real underlying causes driving women away from their career path.
The gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields widens as women climb the career ladder – and is magnified for ethnic-minority women. The bottleneck in the leaky STEM pipeline occurs after women complete their education and enter STEM employment, eventually resulting in an acute underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. There is wide evidence that gender discrimination and implicit bias are important barriers hindering career progression of women in STEM, but could motherhood be playing a critical role?
Mothers in Science (www.mothersinscience.com) is a non-profit organisation that aims to advocate for workplace equality and inclusion in STEM and to raise awareness of the barriers preventing women with children from progressing in their STEM careers. 
Mothers in Science are conducting a global survey in collaboration with other organisations to study the inequalities and career obstacles affecting parents in STEMM (STEM+ medicine).
Take the survey here: https://www.mothersinscience.com/survey
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