My advantage as a woman and a human being has been in having a mother who believed strongly in women's education. She was an early undergraduate at Oxford, and her own mother was a doctor.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
In a way, it has been an advantage for me to be a woman because there is always some academic committee that needs you to fill a quota!
I came from this very traditional background and I benefited hugely from feminism. I felt privileged going to university and doing a PhD. Most people of my background don't get to do that.
The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, her forces of mind and body... is the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life.
I find being a mother is a huge advantage. Of course, I'm probably a little more tired than I might be if I didn't have children, but I think they provide me the balance that I need to keep my mind off of lifting.
Mum was an absolutely determined woman. She was determined I would have a good education, and they went without all sorts of things to ensure it.
Having a mother who had been an aeronautical engineer convinced me that more things should be open to women.
Being a mother is hard and it wasn't a subject I ever studied.
I reached a time in college when I didn't know what I wanted to do. At that time, women's careers were essentially nursing, secretarial and teaching. My mother advised me to get my teacher's certificate.
My mother was a dominant force in my life. She had a very specific idea about education, which was: you should know everything about everything. It was quite simple. There was no exclusivity, and there really was no judgment.
In my career I have never felt that my being a woman was an obstacle or an advantage. I guess I've been oblivious.