Breaking Barriers: Women in Science and the Fight for Recognition
On this, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, ESSC’s Christian Massari details his interview with his colleague Angelica Tarpanelli. Despite their tireless contributions, women in science continue to face significant challenges in gaining recognition and advancing in their fields—yet their resilience and achievements serve as both inspiration and a call to action for change.
By Christian Massari
February 11, 2025
“Women have been held back for centuries. When they gain access to culture, they are like the starving. And food is much more useful to someone who is hungry than to someone who is already full.“ – Rita Levi Montalcini, Nobel Prize Winner.
Having spent my entire career working alongside female colleagues and forming some of my most significant collaborations with them, I must acknowledge that women bring something truly exceptional to science. They are tireless workers, outstanding managers of human resources, and, above all, remarkable thinkers with a pragmatic approach to scientific challenges. There is much that men can learn from them.
Yet, even in 2024, the journey of women in science remains fraught with obstacles from the very outset. Despite widespread recognition of gender disparities and ongoing efforts to address them, a well-documented gap persists between the contributions of women and men—largely due to the under-recognition of women’s work. Women must still fight to enter, remain in, and advance within their scientific fields, despite increasing awareness and initiatives aimed at breaking down gender barriers. For instance, research indicates that women in scientific teams are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to receive authorship credit for their contributions.
Today, women constitute 41% of the total scientists and engineers working in Europe, but their representation has increased by only 1% over recent decades. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with women in space science research whose personal stories of breakthroughs and scientific journeys offer inspiration to other women still navigating these challenges. Their experiences also provide valuable lessons for men, encouraging them to help break down outdated barriers and foster a scientific mindset in young girls—both within the space science sector and beyond.
I had a conversation with my colleague Dr Angelica Tarpanelli, Research Scientist at the National Research Council in Italy and Project Manager of the ESA EO4FLOOD project, on her experience as a scientist.
Dr Tarpanelli, can you tell us about the focus of your research?
My research activity focuses on the leveraging of remote sensing data for river discharge estimation and flood prediction.
Was becoming a scientist your career plan when you were a student? Did you envision yourself as a space scientist at any point?
To be honest, I was more fascinated by digging into the earth (archaeology) than looking at the sky. However, engineering was the field that best suited me due to the rigor and logic that define my way of thinking. So, I started studying hydraulics and hydrology, which eventually led me to the CNR. Here, I was guided to explore the use of satellite data, which, 15 years ago, were still challenging to use. I began working with them during my PhD and have continued ever since. Even though space sciences were not part of my university studies, I really enjoyed learning about them later and deepening my knowledge through scientific research. Of course, space is incredibly fascinating, and having a different perspective (from the top) always helps to see things in their entirety.
What is your favourite aspect in doing research?
I found the freedom of research to be an opportunity to explore innovative and creative solutions to complex environmental challenges. I find it interesting how technological advancements enable us to analyse and better understand the environment and the real-world issues. The second aspect is sharing research with the scientific community. At first, I was really intimidated, those early conferences felt like a nightmare. But over time, I learned to appreciate the moments of connection and exchange, and I started learning from more experienced colleagues. It turned out to be incredibly enriching.
Has your career path been a straight one?
My career path has been fairly straightforward in its focus, but it has not been without challenges. The succession of precarious contracts over time often increased my frustration; however, my determination to continue was stronger. These obstacles became valuable learning experiences that not only shaped my professional growth but also ultimately led to the recognition of my efforts and capabilities.
Which of your papers do you consider the most significant?
My most significant article is the one published in Remote Sensing of Environment in 2013, where the analysis demonstrated how to estimate river discharge from multispectral satellite data. This paper was a key milestone in my career, as it opened up new possibilities for using satellite remote sensing in hydrology, above all with the support of ESA funds.
What do you think is still missing in your field regarding satellite research?
I believe collaboration remains a critical missing piece: interdisciplinarity and knowledge exchange are essential to strengthening ideas and driving progress in research. From a technical perspective, advancements are needed in spatial and temporal resolution to ensure frequent coverage of areas of interest. At the local and regional levels, the establishment of ground-based monitoring networks is crucial to support the integration and calibration of satellite observations. Operationally, standardized procedures are needed to incorporate satellite data into flood early warning systems and water resource planning. There is undoubtedly room for improvement.
What does this day mean to you as a woman in science?
I can speak from my own reality and the challenges I continue to face. Despite the growing presence of women in research and their excellent academic preparation, we are still underrepresented in decision-making positions. Days like the International Day of Women and Girls in Science are important to raise awareness about these inequalities and to sensitize the public through inspiring stories and examples of perseverance and success. However, my hope is that, one day, we won’t need such a day to celebrate women in science, just as there is no specific day to celebrate men in science. This would signify that true equality has been achieved.
Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced as a woman in science?
I think my challenges are quite common. When I was younger, my achievements were sometimes attributed more to my physical appearance than to my intelligence, especially by older male colleagues. It’s frustrating when your value is overshadowed by comments on your looks. In a predominantly male environment, standing out for the wrong reasons can be particularly demotivating. Now, I’m better equipped to handle these situations and stand up for my abilities. I often find myself as the only woman at the table or among the few invited to exclusive workshops. This often comes with the expectation that I must make my voice heard, which generates anxiety and pressure. Gender still makes a difference, and breaking these barriers remains a tough challenge.
In addition, my current challenges are more about balancing work and family life. As a single mother, I can’t take long business trips, nor can I bring work home easily. When I have no choice, I work late at night or very early in the morning to avoid sacrificing time with my child. This balancing act requires an excess of energy and leads to significant stress.
What is your feeling from a scientific perspective while working with men or women?
I don’t see significant scientific differences between women and men, but rather between individuals. I believe that each of us has unique skills, and that complementarity is key. In a team, it’s wonderful to have diverse personalities and characteristics. From a purely female perspective, I find women to be much more organizsed, precise, and reliable in completing assigned tasks than men. It seems to me that women are more dedicated probably due to the education.
What do you think is the way forward to fill the gap between men and women in science?
I believe it’s essential to strengthen mentorship programs for young female researchers and build support networks among female peers to help overcome career challenges. On a broader scale, governmental institutions should promote policies that foster gender equality, such as equally shared parental leave and merit-based evaluations rather than short-term productivity metrics. Implementing systems to monitor gender disparities and encouraging greater female representation in scientific institutions can lead to more targeted and effective interventions. While progress is being made in this direction, there’s still much to do, and I am a strong supporter of these initiatives.
How can women and girls who expired in science domain be supported ?
I believe it’s crucial to challenge gender stereotypes and promote positive female role models to show younger generations that science is not just a man’s world. This effort should begin with initiatives in schools, something I’m actively involved in right now.
Angelica Tarpanelli received her Master degree and the Dr degree (PhD) in Civil Engineering at University of Perugia in 2006 and 2014, respectively. From 2012 to 2022 she was a Researcher and since 2023 Senior Researcher at National Research Council – Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection in Perugia. Her research interest is the use of remote sensing data for hydrological and hydraulic monitoring and modelling on which she published original contributions in peer-reviewed journals (59 publications) with 3500+ citations (Google Scholar H-index = 33), book chapters and conference papers (31 publications). Recently, her work has been focused on developing techniques for the integration of satellite altimetry data and optical sensors for river discharge estimation. She actively participated (even as coordinator) to several research projects in the frame of Italian and European programmes and funded by International space agencies, in collaboration with Italian and International institutions. Among them, she is Project Manager of the EO4FLOOD Project funded by ESA and of the GLOBAL RIVER DISCHARGE Project funded by EUMETSAT, and co-investigator of CCI+ discharge, HydroCoastal, FDR4ALT, Cryo-TEMPO, St3TART projects funded by ESA and HORIZON UAWOS project funded by European Commission. She is a Member of the Discharge Algorithm Working Group (DAWG) of the SWOT mission mainly funded by NASA and CNES, the Italian Hydrological Society (SII), the Italian Group of Hydraulics (GII), the European Geoscience Union (EGU) and the American Geophysical Union (AGU).