Increase the Number of Women in Science by Encouraging Girls to be Curious
I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and like most kids my age, I was infected with malaria a lot. This led to endless visits to the hospital. I was a very curious child though, and whenever I visited the hospital, I always asked questions about my malaria treatment. Why was I given a particular dose? Why was I given a particular drug? Why did I suffer from side effects of chloroquine?
The male doctors and female nurses were always annoyed by me and met my questions with harsh rebuttals. According to them, girls were not allowed to be so inquisitive. It was “unladylike” and “disrespectful”. As one doctor put it, I lacked “home training”, which is something Nigerians say when they feel a child is ill mannered/rude.
Being reprimanded by these strangers was a weird experience for me as my father encouraged curiosity and always nurtured my inquisitive nature. My father would ask my opinion on every subject matter, from domestic issues to socio-political issues in the country. My father raised me to question everything, to be bold and to not let society’s expectation of me inhibit whatever path I decide to choose in life. I was raised by a feminist father in a patriarchal society that taught girls and women to “know their place”.
At the age of 12, I decided I wanted to be a scientist. After doing brilliantly in mathematics and biology, I was placed in the arts by my school against my will or interest. Schools in Nigeria at the time had no method of picking subjects for the general certificate of education (GCE). It was a random process most times, and sometimes, it was based on grades achieved in core science subjects. Based on the latter, I should have been placed in a science class, but because there was no evidence-based methodology employed in the decision making, I was randomly told to join the arts.
I did not enjoy the subjects in the arts and expressed my worries to my teachers. Unfortunately, I was ignored and told to behave like a ‘good girl’ and to stop complaining. Undeterred, I marched to the principal’s office and demanded to be placed in the sciences. The principal was shocked I had such boldness in the first place and asked me to make my case, which I did. My wish was granted (even though he felt I should become a lawyer instead), but I was called stubborn by the teachers for challenging views with which I never agreed. Society was constantly telling me I had to be what females were ascribed to be and I, on the other hand, constantly fought this notion with great confidence because I always knew my father supported me.
I carried on being curious, inquisitive, bold and not letting cultural norms define my role or place in society and I became a scientist. Being curious at work influenced me to carry out experiments to answer important questions about malaria drug resistance in the African setting, and it has led to whole genome sequencing of malaria parasite lines from Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.
Unfortunately, few African girls had a father like mine who supported their curiosity and chosen career path, and the science sector has been negatively affected as a result. To date, many women think being a scientist is a male career, perhaps in part because there are not many visible female scientists on the continent. Women comprise less than 30% of the science field and the few women who have embarked on training in science discipline are hindered by suppressed motivation and discrimination, all of which are a result of multiple factors including cultural, institutional and policy factors.
Of course, this is a problem beyond Africa and all over the world, women remain a minority in science and technology. But the gender gap is even more problematic on the continent. Without science, Africa will always be behind in development and will not reach its full potential.
If women are to be represented in the sciences or leadership in sciences, the culture surrounding women and their role in a patriarchal society must change and this change must come from both men and women. Girls must be allowed to be curious, just as boys are allowed, and even expected to be. Parents need to stop the cycle of gender-based belief systems, especially when it pertains to the sciences. We also need to change the harmful cultural belief that a woman can be “too educated” for marriage as this prevents some women from pursuing advanced degrees.
For my part, I founded an organization called Afroscientric, which inspires and mentors women in science in order to reduce the “leaky pipeline” that exists in the sector.
On International Women’s Day, I call on men and women to stop supporting cultural perceptions that negatively shape the way girls and women see themselves. I call on parents to be deliberate about encouraging young girls to be whatever they want to be and not allow gender-based roles to determine their wishes, dreams or aspirations. A cultural shift proffers long-term sustainable solutions to the problem of the lack of women in science. Only when girls are given the freedom to be curious and to be whoever they wish to be will we see more of them pursuing a science career.
