When Dr. Maria Issa first began her studies at the University of B.C. in the late 1960s, she was one of only a handful of other women studying science.

"When I started, women weren’t as well represented in science education and still had to be convinced that hey needed to take math and science," said Issa.

Today she is a clinical associate professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at UBC and, by carving a niche in an industry once dominated by men, helped pave the way for the next generation of female scientists.

"Now as far as 53 per cent of undergrad science classes are made up of women. There are amazing young women … graduating with degrees in science and they don’t realize this was not (common) when I was in school,” said Issa.

But breaking into a science career wasn’t easy, and a lot of women – herself included – have had to put their work on hold to have babies.

“It really slows down a woman’s career path,” Issa said. “The commitment and the flexibility is not there for women in science and … they need support. Economically it makes way more sense to use brains you’ve trained, (but) we perceive women as moms and we forget that they have an economic power.”

A big help to all working moms, Issa said, would be access to universal and affordable childcare so women could enjoy motherhood and the challenge of their work.

"Women work because it’s fulfilling and satisfying. Without that we feel like we’re not contributing."