Women in Science 803

Zena Werb primarily to keep the male students from becoming too randy. Many laboratories Zena Werb was born in Bergenbelsen, would not take women students, or made Germany to Polish Jewish parents. As the environment so inhospitable that a post-war refugee, with her family women would not apply. Women who she moved from Wroclaw, Poland dared to have families were excluded to Milan, Italy. From there they from many postdoctoral positions and immigrated to , first to fellowships. Those women who did Saskatchewan and then to southern combine science with having a family Ontario, where Zena grew up on a found that they did the lion’s share of farm. She went to the University of childcare and housecleaning, in addition Toronto, where she read Honours to trying to maintain scientific , receiving a BSc in 1966. competitiveness. Pressure for sexual Studying with the late Professor favors was frequent and exploited – by Zena Werb photographed at Ely Cathedral in Zanvil A. Cohn, Zena received her both men and women. Tenured women 1972. PhD in from The role models were essentially absent and , New York. the few tenured women faculty were opportunity. The rules at many Her post-doctoral work was at the nearly invisible. Mentors for women Strangeways Research Laboratory in institutions have been liberalised to were men, when they could find them. allow the tenure clock to be lengthened, Cambridge, UK. After one year on the The number of women hired into faculty of Dartmouth Medical School but that has not erased an attitude that academic positions was small, and they those who choose to take longer are of in Hanover, New Hampshire, she tended not to have tenure track positions. joined the University of California, lower quality than those who do not. The number promoted was even smaller. Going home to deal with child care still San Francisco, as an Assistant The salaries were much lower for Professor in the Laboratory of raises eyebrows, whereas going out for a women than men. A conference without run does not. Radiobiology. She is currently any women speakers was the norm. Professor and Vice-Chair of Anatomy Gender differences in style and and a member of the Program in NOW: The biggest change is that personality still work against women. Biological Sciences and Biomedical women now make up more than 50% of Forcefulness is often equated with a lack Sciences Program at the University of biology graduate students and medical of collegiality. Women tend to feel less California, San Francisco. students. There is an awareness that entitled, which is equated with women have not been treated equitably. Zena’s research is on the roles weakness, rather than strength. Women The most egregious of the problems are scientists are more nurturing, and thus of matrix metalloproteinases in no longer blatant, but that is not to say normal and pathological tissues, often end up with trainees that need that gender bias is gone. Sexism has not more attention. concentrating on mouse models of disappeared, but since officially it is not bone and mammary gland tolerated, it has gone underground. The Conferences have more women speakers development. She has demonstrated usual excuse for sexism now is that there than 20 years ago, but meetings with no the importance of proteolysis as a are no qualified women available. or only token women still take place. I mechanism of altering extracellular Salaries at the starting levels (student, have yet to attend a meeting where signaling. She has shown that post-doctoral, faculty) are generally whole sessions have only women remodeling of the equivalent. At the other end of the scale, speakers, never mind the whole and the cellular microenvironment by women are still promoted to full program. However, the lines for the stromal and inflammatory cells professor at slower rates and receive women’s restroom at conferences contributes to development of tumors proportionately fewer endowed chairs. demonstrate that women are now as aberrant organs. Still fewer women are nominated for, let significant contenders, something the FMW: What changes for women in alone awarded, the special honors (e.g., venue architects clearly failed to science have you observed during the Fellowship of the British Royal Society anticipate. course of your career? or membership of the National Academy FMW: How has your research career ZW: THEN: When I started college, of Sciences in the USA), although the impacted on your personal life and vice women were accepted as science number is slowly rising. versa? undergraduates, so long as they did not The pipeline of female applicants ZW: If I had not become a researcher, I rock the boat. I remember being told that shrinks by the time the academic job probably would have had a family. I did I could not go on a field course because hunts start in earnest. There is still not choose career over family. I never there were “no accommodations for dissatisfaction among women with a thought that I was anything but women”. Sexism was the rule of the day. system that pits childbearing years superwoman. But finding a partner who Some professors would not even take the against the research years required to would accept that (i.e. the male time to talk with women students. In achieve tenure. More women opt for equivalent of Lois Lane), proved less graduate school the prevailing attitude non-tenure track positions or other than successful. I found I could control was that women students were there positions with less pressure – and less my access to great science, but not to 804 Journal of Cell Science 117 (6) great men! Science can be a very years, long before they are recognized lasts. I want to train terrific scientists for individual and lonely pursuit, and it has by the scientific community. the future. I have been fortunate in impacted on my personal life by playing The greatest disadvantage is that it is making the right decisions that have to my tendency to be a hermit. rare for a woman to have a patron, and fostered my career in spite of challenges. My career has given me a great scientific many more lack the mentorship needed I now feel a responsibility to give back family. My students have become the to navigate the waters of science to the community, to develop science children I never had. politics. Mistakes by women are much that is humanistic as well as creative and exciting. I want my curiosity never to FMW: Do you feel that being a woman more lethal. One poorly prepared lecture will not be forgotten or forgiven for wane, but I want to have the sense to is an inherent advantage/disadvantage retire while I am still a scientific leader. for a career is science? Why? decades. Since women tend to have smaller laboratories and a more hands- Finally, I still hope to attend a ZW: Both. The greatest advantage for on style, their labs are less successful in conference where several of the sessions women in a scientific career is that they recruiting the type of trainee (male or or symposia are all-women and no one can take chances, since there is nothing female) that takes chances and makes finds that curious. to lose. Lacking patrons, there has never major breakthroughs. been any benefit to women to work on doi:10.1242/jcs.01031 the hottest topic, since they can only be FMW: What are your remaining career ambitions? followers. Women have a clear mandate Feedback on our series of Women in Cell to be different and to tread new ground. ZW: What will be my scientific legacy? Science articles is always welcome and Successful women find their own niches Most research lasts less than 5 years. It should be e-mailed to and develop their own systems over is the next generation that you train that [email protected]