Lessons in Chemistry

Through my work as a leadership coach and women’s leadership network founder, I hear about the barriers that women face on a daily basis, which is why you absolutely need to add ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus to your reading list.

The novel is set in the US in the early 1960s and tells the story of an extraordinary woman. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist, at a time when women weren’t expected to have careers, and when some universities still didn’t admit women.

First of all, the story is just so interesting. The reader follows the daily trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Zott as she is victim of casual and systemic sexism and misogyny. Despite this context, she remains uncompromising and dedicated to pursuing her career in chemistry. She repeatedly challenges the status quo, using reasoning and science to debunk the prejudices that she faces.

But it is also a story of an unconventional family. It’s a love story, and a story ultimately of redemption.

My mother would have been a contemporary of Elizabeth Zott had she had been a real living person. It is so interesting to understand the barriers that my mum would have faced, albeit that she lived and worked in the London suburbs. But it is also fascinating to chart the progress that has been made in terms of women’s rights.

However, we’ve not levelled the playing field for women yet.

❌ I don’t know a single woman who isn’t cautious about walking alone at night. An estimated 840 million women globally – almost one in three – have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30% of women aged 15 and older).

❌ Women hold just 34% of senior management roles globally.

❌ The gender pay gap is still real. Women earn 87 pence for every pound that men earn across all work types.

❌ Women are still experiencing discrimination due to being expectant or working mothers. Approximately 74,000 women in the UK are pushed out of their jobs annually due to pregnancy or maternity, equivalent to one woman every seven minutes, according to Pregnant Then Screwed and Thrive Law.

❌ Women are still less wealthy than men. The gender wealth gap in Great Britain stands at 21% as of July 2025, with men holding an average of £78,000 more in total wealth than women. This gap is significantly wider than the 13% gender pay gap, driven primarily by disparities in private pension wealth, where men hold 43% more than women.