Myrmecology has majority of females only within the colony: Insights into female representation and the arrival of children in the academy and the aggravation of injustices due to the pandemic

Diversity and inclusion in science are issues that still need to be addressed and the scientific community should act urgently to overcome disparities especially because women are still underrepresented across science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and myrmecology (study of ants) is not immune to that, with female representation not increasing significantly in the last 30 years. In addition, there are many causes that contribute to the maintenance of this situation, one of which is the arrival of children. Identifying the challenges of scientist parents to ensure that they do not abandon their careers is a first step in ensuring that, especially women, do not have to leave the academy due this personal decision. And even worse, in the face of a pandemic, this scenario of gender injustice is even more aggravated: since maintaining the balance between personal and professional life has always been a challenge for scientists, especially for women, who are often responsible for household chores and the exclusive care of children. An urgent call for action is needed to rethink deadlines and career advancement measures so that women are not harmed in the long run, and thus not allowing this pandemic to pull us into irreparable setbacks.