The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science [Hardcover]

Elga Wasserman (Author), Rita R. Colwell (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2000

A collection of personal stories of the few women scientists who have achieved the honour of election to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Including several Nobel laureates, the career profiles and personal interviews have much to say to those struggling to overcome obstacles. From their passionate love of research to their struggle to balance the demands of home and career, the women share a great deal. At the same time, the portraits offer different insights about how being female has affected their careers. Among the eminent women interviewed are: Mary Ellen Avery; May R. Berenbaum; Mary K. Gaillard; Margaret Kidwell; Judith P. Klinman; Nancy Kopell; Marian Koshland; Jane Lubchenco; Pamela Matson; Cathleen Morawetz; Myriam Sarachik; Joan Steitz; and Susan Taylor.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

Equality in the workplace and equal access to leadership positions for women are issues that have stirred considerable debate among scientists during the past several decades. Despite affirmative action, several well-publicized cases of discrimination, and organized efforts to raise awareness, women still lag behind their male colleagues. An increasing number of young women aspire to careers in research science and pursue and complete graduate training. However, only a few emerge as strong contributors, and still fewer rise to leadership positions. Even in the biologic sciences, which are chosen by more women than the physical sciences, mathematics, or engineering, only a fraction of the women who earn their degrees or finish postdoctoral training find independent positions in academia, government, or industry and advance further. Indeed, Wasserman, who holds a doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Harvard but went on to obtain a law degree from Yale, is herself an example of the many women who complete scientific training but find success in other careers.

Wasserman examines these complex issues through the experiences of women who have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. These 86 women, who constitute about 5 percent of the membership of the Academy, are the elite women of American science; their accomplishments clearly identify them as having succeeded in a traditionally male-centered environment. Do the career paths taken by these women provide a formula that can be followed by young women who strive to reach the same heights?

Wasserman contacted all the women in the Academy. Most of them chose to participate in her survey and were interviewed in person or by letter. A subgroup of these women are profiled in detail, in brief biographies that are eminently readable and that convey insights into the personal and professional hurdles each woman overcame. These are presented in chronological order, beginning with women born before 1920 and ending with those born in the 1940s and later. This approach allows the reader to appreciate the progress that has been made since the early days, when women were actively discouraged from pursuing science, to more recent days, when this message has sometimes been delivered in more subtle ways.

Each woman's experience is refreshingly different. However, some important parallels can be found among most of the stories. Talent, intelligence, flexibility, and incredible perseverance are traits that shine through in every instance. Most of the women profiled in the book received critical encouragement, often from a family member who made it clear that it was not only acceptable but also highly desirable to ignore convention and find security through a career. Others received support from at least one mentor who likewise was willing to ignore convention and provide encouragement at a crucial juncture. Of paramount importance to the women who married was the active support they obtained from their spouses. As one of the women interviewed commented, "If a husband does not support his wife's career,... the wife has only two choices -- give up her career or give up the husband."

Some long-prevailing myths concerning the path to a productive scientific career are dispelled in this book. For example, most of the women married, and most raised a family; thus, the idea that success in science almost always involves total devotion, at the expense of other activities, cannot be correct. However, as noted by several of the women, choices have to be made, and the use of all of one's energy for family and science, at the expense of other personal pleasures, is a sacrifice that will probably have to be made. In addition, many of the women who raised families did not follow a conventional career path but, instead, either took time off or worked part time when their children were young. They managed successful reentry in different ways; strikingly, however, many of these women were married to highly successful scientists, who helped smooth what otherwise might have been a rocky path.

The book clearly illustrates that women can both be successful and enjoy full, rewarding family lives, but it also raises sobering issues. The flexibility enjoyed by the women who were able to spend time away from research is becoming increasingly unusual. The ability to divide all of one's energy between family and bench research is not afforded to most junior faculty members, who often bear heavy teaching and administrative responsibilities while trying to establish and fund their research programs. Combining these pressures with the unrelenting biologic clock that limits women's childbearing years and the often self-driven conflict between caring for one's children and managing one's career remains a heavy burden. Nearly every woman interviewed identified the availability of support during these years as critical if women are to make a larger contribution to scientific research. As the vignettes of women coping with these issues today illustrate, creative solutions are difficult to find.

Reading the stories of women scientists who have risen to the top of their profession should provide hope and inspiration to those who strive to make the climb themselves. Mentors, both male and female, will gain a new appreciation of the positive and negative influence their actions can have. The book should also heighten our awareness of the job that lies ahead. Constructive suggestions, such as fostering the creation of more job-sharing positions, implementing improved child care, and adopting a tenure clock that recognizes the need for family leave, are issues that all scientists need to espouse, actively and vigorously. Most of the elite women profiled in the book recognize their responsibility to future generations of women scientists. The Door in the Dream should remind other senior women researchers who enjoy established, productive scientific careers of their obligation to follow suit.

Naomi Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2000 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Review

"...Young women will find it helpful and informative about the lives of contemporary women in science." -- Choice, December 2000

"...accessible, readable and intriguing." -- Dallas Morning News, September 2000

"...an intimate look at a group of elite women, written in an easy conversational tone." -- Women's Interchange at SLAC (Stanford), 2001

"A Door in the Dream would make a terrific gift for a young woman in science--or for her parents or teachers." -- Nature Magazine

"This is an intimate and unique glimpse into the lives of successful women scientists". -- Chemical & Engineering News, July 2000

"We feminists should see too that the book be widely read and discussed". -- The Waterfall-Connecticut NOW News, June 2000

"writing evenhandedly and with restraint...an enlightening look at the genuine progress that can be achieved through social legislation." -American Scientist -- American Scientist, Jan./Feb., 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: National Academy Press (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309065682
• ISBN-13: 978-0309065689
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,464,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many doors,many dreams, September 2, 2000

By 

Dr. Carol T. Schreiber (New Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science (Hardcover)

This book succeeds on so many different levels. Above all, it is a fascinating introduction to the lives of thirty seven remarkably successful women. It is a "good read" for anyone interested in a personal glimpse into many different worlds of scientific discovery. It offers varied templates to young scientists seeking alternative approaches to scientific careers today. It suggests some unconventional wisdom about possibilities for career progress for women and men in any organization. And finally, it provides compelling evidence for employer policies and programs to support employee efforts to balance professional productivity with personal and family commitments.

Wasserman offers a unique perspective on all careers based on the life experiences of women scientists elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. She draws on personal interviews, correspondence and biographic materials of thirty seven women(of a total of eighty six elected women scientists) to portray their experiences, often in their own words. Wasserman undertook this project based on personal questions about her own career, which led from research scientist (PhD chemist)to academic administration to the practice of law. She describes her career path in the context of family interests and commitments as well. For this study she sought to understand what differentiated the lives and paths of these remarkably successful scientists from the paths of others with similar interests and potential. In presenting a consistent set of questions to each of her subjects, she looked for similar patterns and notable differences within this group of women and between this group and others. Her interview material is organized into age clusters and is thus informed by societal characteristics of each cohort's era.

Wasserman's work yields lessons about career success far byond the world of scientific research she depicts. For these women initial career decisions were most often based on interest, talent and encouragement from family plus special teachers at critical juncture points. Yet these initial decisions were then modified and shaped by circumstance and opportunity, for better or for worse. As with each of us, each of these women faced numerous barriers and hurdles as she moved along a path. As with each of us, the path was often unclear. Yet each of these women found her way to make unique contributions to scientific knowledge. Despite barriers and hurdles each was remarkably successful in her scientific career.

Among the barriers and hurdles faced by many of these women, one persists, and that is the dificulty in balancing between professional and personal commitments. Here the lives of these scientists shared challenges similar to the ones faced by men and women at all phases of their professional development. How to balance a strong commitment to work with a strong commitment to family and/or personal life remains a daily struggle for so many of us. It is a struggle we hear about from men and women in corporations, government and academic life as well. It is a struggle anticipated by young people as they embark on their careers and by men and women in mid-career as they live their daily lives and consider their future directions. Each struggle is characterized by much that is personal and unique and much that is universal as well.

In her summary chapters Wasserman highlights the balance between professional interests and personal lives as a key opportunity for organizations to affect lives and careers. She suggests that organizational policy could enhance productivity by becoming more flexible in demands on people and more generous in the resources provided to help support the balance between professional and personal commitments. Her exploration of policy and program implications is especially cogent for today's workforce and in today's workplace.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but was expecting more..., November 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science (Hardcover)

I definitely like the idea behind this book which I thought was to help understand the lives/struggles that the women elected into the National Academy went through. I also liked the way the book was grouped into women born within specific time periods since they seemed to have more in common with each other. But along with all survey books, this one lacked a focus or goal. The author who conducted the interviews seemed very passive and not willing to explore problems the scientists were going through. Wasserman hints at problems/solutions, but I was looking for more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A real mixture, September 4, 2001

By 

John Anderson (Bar Harbor, ME USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science (Hardcover)

Parts of this book are absolutely first rate -I thoroughly enjoyed the introductory & concluding sets of chapters that "place" the interviews- and some of the biographical pieces are also intriguing and insightful. Unfortunately one gets the feeling that Wasserman has tried to both stretch too far & at the same time go too deep in some areas. In the cases of scientists where we actually get enough material to sense a "conversation" the book cannot be faulted (the interview/section on Ruth Patrick was marvellous for instance), but in some cases we have little more than an expanded extract from some sort of "Great Women & Men in Science" dictionary. Fewer and longer entries would perhaps have served better. This breadth/depth problem is in a sense highlighted by a striking shortage of ecologists (there is the Patrick interview mentioned already & a disappointingly short blurb on Jane Lubchenco) & an absence of behavioral ecologists (what of the likes of Sarah Hrdy etc.?)while at the same time it seems we get lots of biochemist/genetics/& physical science types. A number of authors have noted the greater success that women have had in penetrating the Life Sciences, and perhaps Wasserman feels that this area needs less attention, but a more detailed analysis of WHY things have been better in Biology would be of interest. Other than these complaints I enjoyed the book and will have no problem encouraging my students (female and male alike) to read it.