At Mac4Me, our goal of finding new immunotherapy strategies for metastatic tumors is not driven by abstract “innovation.” People drive it. It is built on the daily work of our diverse network: researchers, biotechnologists, science communicators, philosophers, and patient partners.
On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we want to go beyond the empty celebration of “female icons.” Instead, we highlight the women who actually drive our project. We feature them today because referents matter. You cannot be what you cannot see.
In technical and scientific fields, the historical lack of female visibility has created a false narrative that these are “male” disciplines. By showcasing the women of Mac4Me, we are not just celebrating them; we are providing concrete proof for the next generation—and for our current colleagues—that expertise has no gender.
However, creating referents is not enough if the system pushes them out. We must acknowledge the structural realities they navigate:
- The Matilda Effect: The historical bias where women’s scientific contributions are often attributed to male colleagues or overlooked entirely.
- The Leaky Pipeline: The continuous loss of female talent at every stage of the academic and professional ladder, often due to rigid structures that fail to accommodate life outside the lab.
- The Scissors Effect: The statistical reality where women enter the field in high numbers (as PhD candidates) but are systematically pushed out before reaching stability due to precarious contracts and a lack of support for work-life conciliation.
- The Glass Ceiling: The invisible but impenetrable barrier that prevents qualified women from rising to upper leadership positions, regardless of their achievements.
- Paternalism: The tendency to undermine the authority of women, whether they are researchers presenting data or patients advocating for their own health outcomes.
To anyone looking at these photos: here are your referents. They are coding, pipetting, leading, writing, researching, and advocating.
To the scientific community: let’s ensure we fix the “leaky pipeline” so these referents can stay, thrive, and lead without sacrificing their well-being. Science cannot function if it renders half its workforce and advocates invisible. We commit to a research culture that values this labor, credits it correctly, and fights the structural barriers that try to erase it.
