‘Having it all’: USask chemist talks changing perceptions about women in science

By Kristen McEwen

Dr. Tara Kahan (PhD) has received plenty of advice when it comes to being a scientist and a woman navigating work-life balance.

As a post-doctoral researcher, she was told by a leader in an academic workshop for women in chemistry, “You can have a career or you can have kids; not both.”

Now a chemistry professor at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Kahan has achieved many significant milestones in her career—all while raising a daughter with her partner.

“I decided early on that ... I’m doing this job because I love chemistry. I love doing research,” Kahan said. “I made the decision that if I have to hate my life in order to keep the job, then the job isn’t worth it.”

Kahan outlines more about her experiences as a woman navigating science and academia in a chapter she wrote for the book “Navigating Academic Motherhood: The Possibilities of Effective Mentorship for Tenured Faculty Mothers.”

In the chapter entitled “Breaking Barriers and Water in Chemistry,” Kahan writes about her experience as a new mom, sleep deprivation, limited parental leave while working in the United States—consisting of a semester of reduced teaching—and placing her daughter in daycare at five months old.

Having an arrangement to work reduced hours was because Kahan had an understanding and sympathetic department head. In the U.S., most people must place their kids in daycare at about two months old, she said.

“I decided that family was most important,” she said. “So, I took my daughter to meetings.”

Colleagues in her department supported her choice to bring her daughter to work. From faculty meetings to seminars, someone was ready to accommodate—usually with open arms to hold her baby.

Throughout her career, Kahan has experienced challenges and barriers as a woman in science. She’s heard male colleagues talk about being passed over for opportunities due to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. At one job interview, Kahan was told they don’t like to hire women who are married because their spouses don’t want to move.

“I don’t know that I was looked over for jobs or grants because I’m a woman. But I see that difference. Nobody will ever tell me, ‘We didn’t hire you because we wanted a man.’”

“They tell me I didn't get the job because I’m not good enough.”

Kahan was a member of a peer mentor group of women in science. Many of the women in the group had, or were about to have, children.

“I was able to see that these women had kids and were still these amazing, successful scientists,” she said. “Whereas the previous generation, including the woman who told me (that piece of advice)—she’s an amazing scientist who I respect greatly—but that was their reality.”

“I think that’s where things are changing. Perception isn’t changing as fast as reality,” she added. “I firmly believe that you can absolutely be a faculty member and have children and actually have a work-life balance.”

Kahan is trying to normalize motherhood in her field. She continues to take her child to conferences, meetings, university functions, and the classroom. Kahan also tells her students to bring their own children to class when needed.

She recognizes that academia allows for flexible work hours. She’s able to work longer or shorter days, depending on the demands of childcare and work deadlines.

While progress has been made since her early career days, Kahan acknowledges there’s still work to be done around perception and biases towards women in science and academia.

Teaching evaluations are an area where this is especially evident. There are differences between men and women as faculty members and teaching assistants (TAs).

“There’s a lot of literature about how biased teaching evaluations are from students,” Kahan said.

The words students use in evaluations differ when describing men and women their instructors, she said. Men are described as “brilliant,” “genius.” Women are described as “kind,” “nurturing,” or “mean.”

“I’ve curated a lot of my teaching style to address that specifically,” Kahan said.

In evaluations, students have mentioned her "bad" marking style, but she’s also had colleagues say that she’s marked too generously.

As part of the USask Department of Chemistry’s EDI committee, Kahan was able to implement guidelines in training to help eliminate bias and make TAs aware of biased language.

“It feels like it’s ‘just you’ until you meet lots of people who are experiencing the same thing,” Kahan said. “And you say, ‘Oh, there is a pattern.’”

Related Articles