A/Prof Rachel Standish, Murdoch University.

The football landed with a thud not far from where I was adjusting the rope on the rainout shelter. It was 2007, and while the banksia woodland had more obstacles than a footy pitch, our sons, then five and eight years old, were content kicking the ball. It was not unusual for their parents to stop the car to look at plants, so why not use the time to play ball? In retrospect, this year was the most challenging of my career, being a wife, mum, and a research ecologist. I found it even more challenging than finishing a PhD while being a wife and mum. I loved field experiments but one that required me to exclude half the rainfall for one year was a bit extreme! I was often bone-tired, probably due in part to an undiagnosed iron deficiency, but paradoxically, I was also energized by my research and life at home.  

During my undergraduate studies, most of my university lecturers had been male but there was one important exception. Barbara York Main OAM (1929−2019) blazed a trail for younger female scientists, with her mild but determined manner, coupled with a passion for trapdoor spiders and their imperilled wheatbelt landscape. She wrote her first two books while at home with her three young children. Professor Main showed me that it was possible to be a successful academic and mother, in her case with limited financial and institutional support. She also highlighted to me the critical influence of female role models for women in science. Seeing her in action helped me to imagine myself doing the same and with similar qualities. 

While ecology today is more gender balanced than say soil science or geology, some of the applied research that I do is largely male dominated. Here, it is difficult to separate my experience as a female from my experiences as an individual. I do tend to gravitate towards the quieter individuals, male or female, and enjoy working with these people in teams. Indeed, my skills in collaboration, communication and supervision have been critical to my success as an academic.  In contrast, I have had to work much harder to develop the stereotypical skills of an academic such as being competitive and possessing technical competencies! Being aware of both our strengths and weaknesses can help both sexes but is especially critical to engaging the next generation of girls in science. 

By 2015, I had accumulated enough pearls of wisdom to make it work. A female mentor and friend suggested I get used to a bit more mess at home. This was a game-changer for me and saved me $50 a week on a cleaner. I learned to trust my ability and especially that the frequent bumps in the road would be offset by eventual wins. In my research career, bumper years where I have published a ‘good amount’ of articles have followed lean years. Similarly, I resolved that being ‘micro-ambitious’ had served me well because I had a track record of being paid to do what I love. As a parent, I had missed lots of school excursions but engaged with my sons’ lives in other meaningful ways. For example, I recently gave critical feedback to my eldest son on his honours research proposal. Our boys didn’t enjoy afterschool care but did enjoy the overseas adventures we could afford as a two-income family.

I write this article having made it through the challenging times. These days I get enough sleep and have the time and energy for hobbies. My sons are pursuing university degrees and I’m very proud of them. I have lived experiences to share with my female PhD students, some with children like me. And today, with some help from lockdown, data I was too busy to publish as a mum of young boys has been accepted for publication. It is a great feeling!

*This article first appeared in the ESA Bulletin September 2021