Bridging the gap; Women in Science within the Creative Industry

Whilst huge progress has been made towards increasing equality for women in science and in higher education, they are still often underrepresented within scientific disciplines. Alongside this, many STEM subjects carry with them certain ‘career stereotypes’, which can feel restrictive for those who are still unsure of their own passions or where they want to make a difference.

However, working towards a science degree may not necessarily mean that you are destined to don a white coat and spend your days in the depths of a lab. The intricate understanding of biology, chemistry and physics has application in a whole word of other industries.

Within the healthcare communications sector, being equipped with scientific vocabulary, a labyrinthine knowledge of the human body and the opportunities presented within the medical world can put you at a distinct advantage – even when taking a more creative approach.

In celebration of International Day for Women and Girls in Science, we sat down with Fran and Chelsea within our Account Management team, to explore how their own degrees within science have enabled them to elevate our client campaigns to the next level.

A wealth of transferable skills (0:07 – 0:43)

Fran – After spending a lot of time in the labs at university, I decided that I didn’t want my career to be in a lab. Although I really enjoyed the subject and was fascinated by it, actually being in a lab day to day didn’t suit me. That wasn’t what I wanted.

I did a master’s in marketing and then eventually ended up here, which is perfect for me really because I’m using my bachelor’s degree and also the marketing side of things as well.

Chelsea – It’s enjoyable having that balance of creative science but also still intertwining science into it.

Elevating campaigns for our healthcare clients (0:44 – 01:46)

Fran – The favourite thing I think about my job is the variety and the projects that we do on a daily basis. No two days are ever the same. And again, learning about and understanding the innovations that our clients are developing to improve healthcare is just fascinating and being able to communicate that to people.

Chelsea – I think it’s quite lucky that most of my clients are quite scientific, and because of that I find things a lot easier to pick up. I guess because I think I find things easy to pick up I enjoy it a lot more.

I think as well knowing what the system is capable of and how that impacts the patient is also really enjoyable because in my head I’m like, ‘Well that’s going to happen to the body and that’s going to do this’. That’s actually a drastic difference to what might have been used previously in other systems and understanding the actual end impact and end outcome, how it’s going to benefit the patient’s body whatever aspect it is.

We love science! (01:47 – 02:11)

Chelsea – The human body is incredible.

Fran – I have a really vivid memory of just sitting in a lecture at University and I think we were talking about cell division or something.

Chelsea – Mitosis?

Fran – Yeah!

Chelsea – Yay!

Fran – I just remember looking at my hands or something and thinking that it’s going on inside me right now. How amazing is that? That’s just fascinating. That’s just the geek I am.

Chelsea – It’s amazing, I love it.

Women in science are leading ground-breaking research around the world, however women still only represent just 33.3% of researchers globally. Did you know that less than 4% of Nobel Prizes for science have ever been awarded for women? There is still so much to be done to achieve true gender equality in science.

When engaging younger girls into STEM careers, having visible role models is vital, and can be that turning point for many. Here’s a list of 22 pioneering women in science to read about and share, but for some people, that role model may be closer to home. Fran tells us how her mum inspired a love for science.

Inspiring women and role models (02:12 – 02:40)

Fran – My mum was a really good role model for me. She went back to University when I was a teenager and finished her degree in science. She’s got a very scientific mind and scientific background so there was always that underlying kind of knowledge, I guess, as I was growing up.

Chelsea – So could she help you out with homework and stuff?

Fran – She could help me out with homework.

Chelsea – So cool!

Fran – Yeah, in Maths or Science.

Whilst the Global community is striving to inspire and engage women and girls in science, there is still a wealth of opportunity to disrupt the trends. The goal should be an environment where girls are encouraged to study science from a young age, and where women have adequate support to balance the responsibilities of research and motherhood.

Chelsea shared how she never felt smart enough as a child to pursue science, and that accessibility to good resources at high school would have helped.

The route to an education in science (02:41 – 03:34)

Chelsea – I never felt smart enough as a kid to do science and I think it’s having that accessibility to good resources at high school and better understanding that science can be easy. Especially the STEM subjects, I think at first it’s just like oh maths, or science, physics – it’s hard and it’s scary. But I think it’s just kind of like breaking down that barrier that it’s not something that you can’t achieve and you can’t not go into science.

So yeah, I didn’t feel smart enough. I think getting into it now, it’s just the fact that I love it so much that probably overcomes that barrier of being like I don’t feel smart enough, because I don’t really care. I just love it so much and enjoy learning about it.

Fran – Yeah if it’s something you’re interested in and you enjoy it then you want to learn and understand it.

Studying or qualified in a STEM field of learning and keen to explore an alternative career path? Visit our careers page to discover the opportunities for women in science within TMC.

Resources: WomenInScience.org & WomenInScience.com