Mothers and Sons

What happens when boys grow up seeing women as scientists, surgeons, and leaders—and how those lessons might change the world.

Have you heard the riddle about the boy whose father was a famous surgeon? The child grew up healthy and strong, but at age fifteen, he and his father were in a car accident. They were taken to different hospitals, and when the emergency surgeon saw the boy, she said, “I can’t operate on him. He’s my son.”

If you hesitated before realizing the surgeon was his mother, you’re not alone. Even women often picture surgeons as male.

Dr. Suh Kwang-Sun and President Kim Hae-Sook at Ewha (2018)

Unlearning the Stereotypes

Around the world, most hospital administrators, top specialists, and ministers of health are still men, while nurses and medical technicians are overwhelmingly women. This hierarchy mirrors a broader imbalance across science and technology fields—from physics to engineering to environmental research.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women has urged governments to take stronger action to close the gender gap in science and technology. But changing centuries of bias is slow work. Britain’s Royal Society, for instance, didn’t admit women until 1945, and by 2020, only 23 women had received Nobel Prizes in the sciences compared to nearly 600 men.

Raising the Next Generation Differently

Institutions like Ewha Womans University in Seoul—the largest women’s university in the world—are changing that narrative. Pioneers like Dr. Suh Kwang-Sun and President Kim Hae-Sook have helped nurture a generation of feminist doctors and scientists who challenge traditional expectations.

I often wonder how sons of women in science grow up. Do they see women differently? Do they become supportive partners, fair teachers, or better advocates for equality? My intuition says yes.

Even as policy reforms advance, social change begins at home—with parents, teachers, and mentors who model equality. Boys need women as role models too.