问答：“无意识的偏见”为女性带来了机会

Most people don’t even realise they are discriminating against women, according to Ghana’s Priscilla Kolibea Mante, a leading neuropharmacologist who is on the search for plant-based treatments for epilepsy, anxiety, pain and depression.

While women can do many of the things that men can do, in many societies they are also expected to fulfil their traditional roles, she explained during an interview withscidev.net。

For example, even though she finishes in the office at 8 pm, she still has to prepare a meal for her family from scratch when she gets home.

在2019年，您是唯一的非洲欧莱雅 - UNESCO妇女妇女授予国际人才奖。同年，您还被选为发展中国家早期职业奖学金计划的科学妇女组织。这一切让您感觉如何？

Actually, to date, 2019 has been the most exciting year for me not only personally, but also career-wise. It was a real honour to be selected for the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science award. I was introduced to all these incredible scientists and I met some pretty amazing people.

To be selected for the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World early career fellowship later the same year honestly started to make me feel a bit invincible. It felt that all the good things that were happening to me were happening to me in the same year.

This is a more detailed interview with Priscilla Kolibea Mante, a leading neuropharmacologist who is on the search for plant-based treatments for epilepsy, anxiety, pain and depression.

You research therapeutic properties of plants found in Ghana, to treat neurological conditions. One of these plants isCryptolepis Saguinolenta, known as Ghanaian quinine. Tell us about your interest in this and other plants.

我是药剂师，所以我的优势之一是药物化学中的化学。我对植物作为治疗剂产生了兴趣，因为我们知道，我们目前拥有的许多药物都从自然中找到了来源，这恰好是新疗法的非常丰富的来源。我们没有太多可以影响大脑状况的高效药物。因此，这就是为什么我对开发新的治疗剂非常感兴趣的原因。

您是加纳青年学院的主席，该学院旨在培养年轻科学家。您认为自己是指导的“冠军”。为什么您认为指导在科学家中很重要？

当我开始职业生涯时，我开始意识到，如果我早些时候收到了正确的指导，我可以做很多事情。我也会做很多事情。因此，我将自己视为为年轻人提供适当指导的工作。我喜欢开放人们的生活，以便他们可以看到自己在这个世界上拥有哪些选择。世界实际上是开放的，他们可以自由选择自己想做的事情。他们可以自由尝试。如果无法解决，他们可以自由重新开始。

You have said that you believe the biggest challenge for women in science is managing negative perceptions and overcoming gender stereotypes. Have you experienced this in your own career? What can be done to improve study and work environments for women in science?

As women, we often say that when a woman decides to have a career it is not always as easy as it would be for her male counterpart. We have been saying this to the extent that it is beginning to sound like a cliché. However, that is the truth of the matter. It is never easy for us women, especially when we grow up in very traditional societies. Right now, we are at the point where women have opportunities available to them. We can do almost anything that the man is allowed to do, but, that still does not absolve us of what is considered our traditional roles. Leaving the office at 8pm, I get home and I still have to cook a meal from scratch. I had to constantly explain why getting married first was not my plan and that getting my PhD first was actually my plan. I feel that a lot of the discrimination we suffer is born out of unconscious bias – most people don’t even realise that they are discriminating against us.

为了清晰和简洁，对这次采访进行了编辑。

这件作品由Scidev.net的撒哈拉以南非洲英语桌子制作。