Women in science: The fight for the bread, but also the roses

The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is “Rights, Justice, and Action: For all women and girls”. On this day, I was reminded of the “Bread and Roses” slogan from the 1911 women’s suffrage and labour movement by a dear friend, who is an international figure in gender rights and justice.

It came from the poem Bread and Roses by James Oppenheim, which I revisited, especially for this line: “As we come marching, marching, we battle, too, for men — for they are women’s children and we mother them again.” I pondered the irony of this line.

From 1911 to 2026, much has changed in many ways. But, like the meaning of the phrase “We want bread, but we want roses too”, it is not enough to say, “See how far women have come.” Workplaces still need much evaluation and change to ensure gender equality. As women, we want our jobs and to earn, but over time we have also come to re-evaluate our rights and respect at the workplace. And we certainly want to both earn and earn with dignity.

I come from the northeast of India. Across different cultures, I have seen girls from conservative families bloom solely because of their independent spirit and their fight to achieve their dreams of exploring opportunities.

I remember one such friend whose family was extremely resistant. While the brother went to an English-medium, expensive school, the sisters were sent to nearby, smaller schools. In every way, she was underestimated by her father. I will always admire that despite this, she reached the CERN laboratories in Geneva. I often wonder how she kept herself motivated to carry on, and I learnt that adversity can also come in the form of social norms imposed on women.

During my childhood, I cycled a lot, round and around, through lanes, everywhere in Guwahati. Every day after school, I cycled. Nothing was more liberating for me at that time than that mobility. Cycling introduced me to my first experience of exploration.

My family never questioned me, never scolded when I did not come home before dark, and never imposed stereotyped social behaviour on me. Instead, they bought me a cycle light for riding in the dark. I realise now that living a free life, and having the opportunity to allow life to take you anywhere, is sometimes a privilege.

Many girls are not fortunate enough to grow up in a free society. Often, life compels women to take paths they never wanted. However, it is important that girls be allowed to make independent decisions from a young age and that their judgment be allowed to mature, rather than letting doubts destroy their confidence from childhood. I certainly wanted to bloom free, in mind and spirit.

I saw the forests, the hills and the rivers of Assam. I followed my dad and my uncles on angling expeditions and asked many questions about what I saw. Simple questions like, “Why is the top of a hill conical, not flat?” drove me to eventually become a passionate geologist.

Life brings experiences at every step. I made friends and I also fought — for my rights and to stand equal. But I also built a strong group of friends, both boys and girls.

Geology is perhaps the field where my passion found a natural habitat. Understanding nature’s processes, how erosion denudes mountains, how internal processes within the Earth contribute to mountain building, how earthquakes occur in sync with these processes, how life evolved over time, how entire life forms have been wiped out repeatedly, and how ancient human civilisations have left clues about changing geological systems, earthquakes and climates has always fascinated me. To appreciate this Earth and pursue a career in geological sciences has been both a pleasure and a privilege.

This journey of learning, working and delivering in geology has been an evolving one. Somewhere along the way, the freedom to pursue passion took a backseat, while the need to deliver took the front. Life throws strong challenges at times, sometimes too many.

What comes in handy in the most difficult moments is that upbringing: The confidence instilled by parents who stood by you in childhood, the decision-making skills that may have made you appear impudent then, the freedom you learned to use judiciously, and the independence given to you despite societal norms demanding gendered protection that often masquerades as benevolent chauvinism.

A workplace can be a tough environment, especially with a strong “Boys’ Club” culture. Sometimes there is also an even more formidable “Old Boys’ Club”. These working environments can be more difficult than a high-altitude field tour or disaster field assessments.

I have worked in several disaster situations — the shock-stricken Joshimath, the Silkyara tunnel collapse and the devastating Dharali flash floods. This field is filled with eagerness to work, to give, to learn and to solve. But a challenging office environment brings a sense of loss of belonging, diminished self-confidence and a struggle for productivity. In short, it can be deeply demoralising.

I have seen women in such environments become muted and silenced. Some who have gathered the courage to speak up for their rights are still fighting. Injustice towards women often holds little significance in the politics of Boys’ Clubs. At some point, women may even give up their rights and their pursuit of justice because of prolonged inaction in delivering them dignity.

Although the number of women entering geosciences has increased, the Boys’ Club culture continues to pose barriers to opportunities. The still outnumbered women are often excluded from informal male-dominated collaborations that circulate through personal networks and are not openly advertised — whether in collaborative research, committee positions or conference session proposals.

Women face direct or indirect questions about their capabilities. They may be left out of field teams and remote expeditions, and sometimes included only when it is necessary to symbolically demonstrate the inclusion of a woman.

In such circumstances, women are overlooked and must wait, sometimes pathetically, for inclusion. The consequences of opportunities being shaped through informal discussions are rarely understood by members of the Boys’ Club. Yet these small exclusions accumulate over time and affect publications, joint projects and recognition for women.

Ironically, when women geoscientists demonstrate strong leadership, independence and confidence, the reaction may shift from dismissal to judgment. A competent woman may be seen less as an asset and more as a challenge to the Boys’ Club. At times, multiple Boys’ Clubs may even join together to label her assertiveness as “controlling”, “dominating”, or “team-disruptive”.

These labels rarely apply to men, in whom the same qualities are often seen as leadership and competence. This is the familiar “double bind” for women: If they remain quiet, they are overlooked; if they speak up and perform, they face social pushback.

It is difficult, even for strong women, not only to navigate scientific challenges in isolation but also to confront gendered expectations. Would I say that it is better to choose a life partner from the same field? Not necessarily. I have also seen colleagues giving authorships to their spouses as a form of benevolent chauvinism, so that gendered roles at home remain unchanged.

Have I experienced such an environment? Yes, of course. I face it often, being recognised far more outside my organisation than within it. Reluctance from male colleagues to cooperate has repeatedly made work difficult, with delays requiring constant negotiation. Excessive scrutiny has required me to justify every step, consuming time and energy and significantly extending my working hours.

In meetings, suggestions are sometimes ignored, unless the same idea is later voiced by a male colleague. Despite my situation, I know women who carry far greater social responsibilities at home and still perform. Some wake up at 4 am, cook for entire families (outside cooks are not acceptable), reach the office on time and perform their duties.

I have listened to stories of struggle and accomplishment of women who, after being judged or asked to change their research fields, started again from scratch and delivered once more. These achievements rarely receive public recognition.

Through all this, women’s resilience grows. We become more efficient, develop negotiation skills and scientific independence, and strengthen our perseverance. Yet even this resilience may trigger further dismissal, as it unsettles fragile egos within the Boys’ Clubs. The cycle turns, and the struggle begins again.

Despite these environments, women geoscientists have courageously shaped the field of earth sciences. Perhaps resilience, prudence and decisiveness are becoming strengthened traits through experience and growing societal support. Society is raising stronger girls and encouraging them to step confidently into professional spaces.

The resilience shown by these women underscores the need to recognise and dismantle informal power structures, distribute opportunities on merit, and cultivate inclusive teams for better outcomes and overall growth.

A friend in the corporate sector once told me about a training she was undergoing and introduced me to the concept of ‘unconscious bias’. Such biases, though often subtle, can be deeply destructive in workplaces. Supportive leadership should work to eliminate these biases rather than perpetuate archaic Boys’ Club cultures.

Women who come to earn their bread must also be able to claim their “roses”. Their work should be defined by scientific challenges, not social combat.

Rather than advocating for a utopian environment, I will simply say that it is fulfilling when two genders work together in sync. Diverse perspectives bring better solutions. After all, solutions designed only by men can address only half the gender in society.

Let her achieve her “roses” finally, her rights and dignity at the workplace — while she earns her “bread”. This will require transparent systems and the dismantling of patriarchal Boys’ Club structures.

As James Oppenheim wrote in 1915:
“The rising of women means the rising of the race.”

Swapnamita Vaideswaran is Scientist ‘E’, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.