Shattering the Old Narrative
Mothers in Science Across the Globe – A STEMPeers Panel Deep Dive
What an incredible experience it was to join a powerful panel discussion hosted by STEMPeers on September 12, 2025. I had the distinct honor of collaborating with three brilliant minds – Sanchari Banerjee, PhD, Chhavi Mathur, Ph.D, and Megan Wendell, PMP – as we collectively delved into the profound challenges and ingenious strategies employed by mothers in science worldwide.
The conversation was rich, nuanced, and deeply personal, resonating with themes from our International Bestseller, Beyond the Pipeline: Redefining Value, Success, and the Future of Women in STEMM—Together.
Moving Beyond the "Leaky Pipeline" – A New Vision for STEMM Careers
One of the central tenets of our discussion, echoing the core message of Beyond the Pipeline, was the need to dismantle the outdated "leaky pipeline" metaphor. As Jane Desrochers, a contributor to the book, eloquently argues, this image is "rusting" and fails to capture the complexity of real lives and real decisions. It often implies women passively "leak out" of STEMM due to inherent flaws, rather than actively making choices.
Instead, we explored more dynamic and valuable narratives. Imagine your career as a labyrinth, a game of pinball, or an obstacle course – each with multiple pathways, optional workarounds, and even hidden aid stations. This dynamic reimagining, as depicted in the book's Rubik's Cube illustration, better reflects the resilience, innovation, and deliberate pivots women make throughout their STEMM journeys. We don't passively leak; we persevere, adapt, and pivot.
The Global Reality: Motherhood and STEMM Careers
The panel provided a crucial platform to examine the "push and pull" factors influencing women's careers in STEMM. I was particularly struck by the insights into the specific barriers and cultural contexts women in India face at the intersection of their STEMM careers and motherhood. Sanchari Banerjee, a co-author of Beyond the Pipeline, shared powerful perspectives, noting that discussions around menstruation, menopause, and perimenopause are very limited in India, which is reflected in a decline in women's labor force participation when perimenopause becomes a factor. This highlights the urgent need for open dialogue and support systems that acknowledge these realities.
Insights from Beyond the Pipeline and Beyond
As three of us on the panel are contributors to Beyond the Pipeline, we were able to offer direct insights from chapters like "Values and Choice" (my own contribution) and the essential "Mental Wellness Moments" woven throughout the book by Megan Wendell. These sections collectively offer strategies for pursuing fulfillment on our own terms, embracing our identities as mothers at work, and managing the unique mental health complexities faced by women in STEMM.
Emily L. Bishop's chapter in Beyond the Pipeline, "Ideal Worker vs. Ideal Parent," directly addresses the "deep misalignment between workplace structures and the realities of parenting today". Emily shares relatable anecdotes, such as balancing critical meetings with childcare late fees or storing breastmilk in a colleague's fridge, emphasizing that these are daily realities in fields not designed with mothers in mind. The chapter champions a new narrative that centers well-being instead of self-sacrifice, advocating for prioritizing rest, mental clarity, and personal fulfillment to show up more grounded and powerful in all areas of life.
Karli M. Auble's "From Surviving to Thriving" chapter, based on her "THRIVE" framework (Thoughts, Habits, Relationships, Instincts, Values, and Environments), offered practical tools for navigating intense professional and personal challenges. Her personal story of sobbing into a pillow amidst a challenging role, pregnancy, and layoff threats highlights the emotional toll, while her framework provides a path to shift from survival mode to thriving.
I also had the thrilling opportunity to expand on valuable concepts that didn't quite make it into the book's printed pages, such as Susan Duckworth's insightful framework for privilege and marginalization. This additional insight further enriched our understanding of the systemic layers impacting women's experiences in STEMM.
A Game-Changer for a More Equitable Future
This powerful discussion truly underscored that women in STEMM are not passively "leaking out" of a broken system, but are "making choices" and actively "reshaping" their careers with resilience and purpose. As Kerrie L. Greenfelder, PE, FY26 President-Elect, Society of Women Engineers, praises, "Beyond the Pipeline is a game-changer for women in STEMM and the allies championing progress. It dismantles outdated career pipeline narratives, revealing the resilience and innovation of those forging new paths. A must-read for anyone committed to building a more equitable and sustainable future for women in STEMM".
This book, and discussions like the STEMPeers panel, aims to provide "hope, clarity, and actionable solutions" for charting a course "without losing yourself along the way".
Watch the full webinar here to gain solidarity and strategy for navigating STEMM's complex systems: youtube.com/watch?v=5H52IHQCraw
We're eager to hear your thoughts: How has this discussion resonated with you? What strategies have you found most effective in your own journey, or in supporting others? Please share your comments below, and consider joining our LinkedIn group, Beyond the Pipeline – STEMM Women+, to continue this vital conversation.
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About the Author: Cassie Leonard is an engineer, two-time bestselling author, and dedicated working parent. She is the editor and lead author of Beyond the Pipeline and the Founder & Principal Coach at ELMM Coaching, committed to elevating diverse voices and sparking systemic change in STEMM.
