---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would say the biggest challenge I had…"
description: "\"I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in science is be a mom. It's really hard. It's very hard work having children, and I tell kids this ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg"
---

#  I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in…

![“I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in science is be a mom. It's really hard. It's very hard work having children, and I tell kids this all the time.” quote by Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg)

> “I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in science is be a mom. It's really hard. It's very hard work having children, and I tell kids this all the time.”

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Acknowledges motherhood as the primary obstacle faced by women pursuing scientific careers.

**In simple terms:** Motherhood challenges women in science.

Key Takeaway

Balancing parenting and research is demanding.

Themes

gender equity work‑life balance science careers parenthood

Mood

empathetic candid

Type

personal advocacy

When to use this quote

- career counseling for female scientists
- advocacy for parental leave policies

Key Concepts

career interruptions institutional support

Practical Applications

- university mentorship programs
- grant extensions for parents

Questions to Reflect On

- What structural changes could reduce this burden?
- How does motherhood shape scientific perspective?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Biggest challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-challenge/) [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [I went to MIT. I do rocket science. Being a mom is much harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-went-to-mit-i-do-rocket-science-being-a-mom-is-much-harder/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [“Every woman is a science; for he that plods upon a woman all his life long, shall at length finde himself short of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/every-woman-is-a-science-for-he-that-plods-upon-a-woman-all-his-life/)

[John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/)

> [It is a unique challenge for a woman to demonstrate that they can lead, that they will be strong, that they can handle crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-greuel/it-is-a-unique-challenge-for-a-woman-to-demonstrate-that-they-can/)

Wendy Greuel

> [I'm a woman specialist now. I'm going around the world to challenge all the woman champions. England, France, Czechoslovakia, everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-riggs/i-m-a-woman-specialist-now-i-m-going-around-the-world-to-challenge/)

[Bobby Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-riggs/)

> [The most useful and honorable science and occupation for a woman is the science of housekeeping. I know some that are miserly, very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-most-useful-and-honorable-science-and-occupation-for-a-woman-is/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [But I don't see myself as a woman in science. I see myself as a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/but-i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-woman-in-science-i-see-myself-as-a/)

[Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/)

> [I'll challenge senators and kings for the right to know the truth, but far be it from me to challenge a woman in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/i-ll-challenge-senators-and-kings-for-the-right-to-know-the-truth-but/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Boxing has been the most difficult thing I've ever done. The biggest challenge in my life. I was a boxer. That was hard. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/boxing-has-been-the-most-difficult-thing-i-ve-ever-done-the-biggest/)

[George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/)

> [I like the challenge of getting players to rise to certain levels, but that's the easy part. The biggest challenge is to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/i-like-the-challenge-of-getting-players-to-rise-to-certain-levels-but/)

[Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/)

> [The biggest challenge in life is to bravely face the most difficult challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ces-peta/the-biggest-challenge-in-life-is-to-bravely-face-the-most-difficult/)

[Ces Peta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ces-peta/)

> [Predicting and responding to the global economy will be the biggest challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/predicting-and-responding-to-the-global-economy-will-be-the-biggest/)

[Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/)

> [I had a hard time with that hockey. I hadn't grown up skating, so that was my biggest challenge. We worked on it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-had-a-hard-time-with-that-hockey-i-hadn-t-grown-up-skating-so-that/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [Being taken seriously was always the biggest challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-wilson/being-taken-seriously-was-always-the-biggest-challenge/)

[Nancy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-wilson/)

> [That is definitely the biggest challenge, career and family, and learning how to balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granger-smith/that-is-definitely-the-biggest-challenge-career-and-family-and/)

[Granger Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granger-smith/)

> [The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-biggest-challenge-after-success-is-shutting-up-about-it/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

## More by Heidi Hammel

> [Even after years of observing, a new picture of Uranus from Keck Observatory can stop me in my tracks and make me say, 'Wow!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/even-after-years-of-observing-a-new-picture-of-uranus-from-keck/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [When I first heard that a comet was going to hit Jupiter, my reaction was, 'Eh. So what? Jupiter's huge. Comets are small. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/when-i-first-heard-that-a-comet-was-going-to-hit-jupiter-my-reaction/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [There are amateurs who have seen that one of Uranus' poles is brighter than the other, or who have seen cloud formations on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/there-are-amateurs-who-have-seen-that-one-of-uranus-poles-is-brighter/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [No one planet can tell us everything about the universe, but Neptune seems to hold more than its share of information about the formation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/no-one-planet-can-tell-us-everything-about-the-universe-but-neptune/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [The thing about telescopes is that the mirror is the main component. Once that's built, you don't need to build new ones; you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/the-thing-about-telescopes-is-that-the-mirror-is-the-main-component/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [I don't think I could advocate for increasing NASA's budget by a factor of two or ten, because I want us to have good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-don-t-think-i-could-advocate-for-increasing-nasa-s-budget-by-a/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [Whatever I was going into, whether it was going to be chorus or history or astronomy or whatever, do it right. Be a professional.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/whatever-i-was-going-into-whether-it-was-going-to-be-chorus-or/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [By monitoring auroral activity on exoplanets, we may be able to infer the presence of water on or within an exoplanet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/by-monitoring-auroral-activity-on-exoplanets-we-may-be-able-to-infer/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [We thought of Uranus's atmosphere as pretty much dead. And it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/we-thought-of-uranus-s-atmosphere-as-pretty-much-dead-and-it-s-not/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [Because exploration is not science driven, you've got to ask what is it driven by? And it's driven by politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/because-exploration-is-not-science-driven-you-ve-got-to-ask-what-is/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [I think the only way that the U.S. human spaceflight program is going to get really revitalized, really put sort of an Apollo level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-think-the-only-way-that-the-u-s-human-spaceflight-program-is-going/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [Together, NASA and Hubble are opening new vistas on the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/together-nasa-and-hubble-are-opening-new-vistas-on-the-universe/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [It's clear that the only thing that is inhibiting us from doing further human exploration of space is money and the will to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/it-s-clear-that-the-only-thing-that-is-inhibiting-us-from-doing/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [Climates always change. The question is, how are we going to adapt to climate change? Now, it may be true that we are accelerating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/climates-always-change-the-question-is-how-are-we-going-to-adapt-to/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

> [Having the young people engaged, involved, and being the leaders themselves is a great way to capture them intellectually and emotionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/having-the-young-people-engaged-involved-and-being-the-leaders/)

[Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

[Explore all 72 Heidi Hammel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/)

## More Biggest challenge quotes

> [Producing is figuring out how to make each character have a distinct voice, how to make the story twist and turn - that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/producing-is-figuring-out-how-to-make-each-character-have-a-distinct/)

[Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/)

> [The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-biggest-challenge-after-success-is-shutting-up-about-it/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [That is definitely the biggest challenge, career and family, and learning how to balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granger-smith/that-is-definitely-the-biggest-challenge-career-and-family-and/)

[Granger Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granger-smith/)

> [Being taken seriously was always the biggest challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-wilson/being-taken-seriously-was-always-the-biggest-challenge/)

[Nancy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-wilson/)

> [I had a hard time with that hockey. I hadn't grown up skating, so that was my biggest challenge. We worked on it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-had-a-hard-time-with-that-hockey-i-hadn-t-grown-up-skating-so-that/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [Predicting and responding to the global economy will be the biggest challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-won-soon/predicting-and-responding-to-the-global-economy-will-be-the-biggest/)

[Park Won-soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-won-soon/)

> [The biggest challenge in life is to bravely face the most difficult challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ces-peta/the-biggest-challenge-in-life-is-to-bravely-face-the-most-difficult/)

[Ces Peta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ces-peta/)

> [The biggest challenge of being the press secretary is trying to be aware of all of the things that are happening, both around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-earnest/the-biggest-challenge-of-being-the-press-secretary-is-trying-to-be/)

[Josh Earnest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-earnest/)

> [I like the challenge of getting players to rise to certain levels, but that's the easy part. The biggest challenge is to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/i-like-the-challenge-of-getting-players-to-rise-to-certain-levels-but/)

[Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/)

> [People talk often of Brexit as the biggest challenge since the Second World War. It is certainly proving to be a lot more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-boothroyd/people-talk-often-of-brexit-as-the-biggest-challenge-since-the-second/)

[Betty Boothroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-boothroyd/)

> [Boxing has been the most difficult thing I've ever done. The biggest challenge in my life. I was a boxer. That was hard. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/boxing-has-been-the-most-difficult-thing-i-ve-ever-done-the-biggest/)

[George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/)

> [Young adults living with a stutter is hard work. How do they handle job interviews? What do they do when the phone rings? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-gates/young-adults-living-with-a-stutter-is-hard-work-how-do-they-handle/)

[Gareth Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-gates/)

> [“The biggest challenge to excellence is being good at something, because to move from good to great requires your willingness to re-think everything you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-tocchini/the-biggest-challenge-to-excellence-is-being-good-at-something/)

Dan Tocchini

> [The biggest challenge I think every publisher is facing is how do we get readers to pay for content? So we're constantly testing, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-rodale/the-biggest-challenge-i-think-every-publisher-is-facing-is-how-do-we/)

[Maria Rodale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-rodale/)

> [The more dollars the studio producers put in, the less freedom we have. If the budget hits $100m, they get scared - they'll take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/the-more-dollars-the-studio-producers-put-in-the-less-freedom-we-have/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

[Browse all 156 Biggest challenge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-challenge/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in science is be a mom. It's really hard. It's very hard work having children, and I tell kids this all the time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Heidi Hammel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had-as-a-woman-in-science-is-be-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biggest challenge"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had-as-a-woman-in-science-is-be-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/heidi-hammel-9437_biggest-challenge_i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had_91916.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would say the biggest challenge I had as a woman in science is be a mom. It's really hard. It's very hard…” — Heidi Hammel",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Heidi Hammel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would say the biggest challenge...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had-as-a-woman-in-science-is-be-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/i-would-say-the-biggest-challenge-i-had-as-a-woman-in-science-is-be-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```