Ansley Almond

I am a woman who is able to beautifully cut through the ribcage of a Sprague Dawley rat and view his thoracic cavity, all while still maintaining my manicure. I have interest in both haircare and fashion, but also in studying the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

For ages, the public has been conditioned to view scientists and doctors as strong, intellectual men. In fact, for the same job and with the same application, the starting pay for a woman is on average, about $4,000 less than that of a man’s. Being a woman in science commonly entails snarky “nerdy girl” comments or even the perception as a “know-it-all”, while men are rewarded for the same behavior.

I am often met with surprise when I explain I want to work in a research lab and conduct pivotal experiments as a career; a lot of times I am viewed as a different “type” of woman. For instance, maybe I’m viewed as too serious, not as social, boring, and the list runs on and on describing characteristics that aren’t "desirable" for a woman to have.

Well, I refuse to let someone’s archaic opinions of my intellectual capacity hinder my career or personality. Being a female scientist doesn’t make you brave or someone going against the grain of society's conventions, it just makes you a woman in science. Forget having to prove that we can do everything a man can do in this field, we don’t owe anyone anything because we earned our success just like anyone else did. Women like me need to take a stand together and show the public that being a woman doesn't make you any less of a scientist, and being a scientist doesn’t make you any less of a woman.