I am passionate about what I do. I am a scientist and an educator. In my mind, it is not incidental that I am a woman within this context. While I think there is a widespread assumption that gender-influences on academic careers have been largely resolved, in my experience this assumption is not justified. I argue that the reluctance to acknowledge the influence of gender on individual experiences and career success restricts what we can achieve in western academic environments, and, furthermore, limits insights into our strengths and weaknesses as women scientists. Finding the resonance between who we are and what we do was described by Palmer (1998) in The Courage to Teach as “…subtle dimensions of the complex, demanding, and lifelong process of self-discovery” (p. 13). Part of my self-discovery involved understanding and appreciating my strengths as a woman.
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Bingham, R. (2009). Women’s Ways of Leading: Navigating Gender Issues in the World of Science. In: Wieseman, K.C., Weinburgh, M.H. (eds) Women’s Experiences in Leadership in K-16 Science Education Communities. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2239-4_6
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