Sofia Karina Trommlerová: Talent has no gender, conditions do
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed annually on 11 February, highlights the close link between gender equality and scientific progress. Sofia Karina Trommlerová brings to the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University Bratislava (FSES CU) a perspective shaped at leading European universities. Her research focuses on various aspects of the lives of women and children, both in Europe and globally. At the same time, she seeks answers to how systems can be designed so that talent is not lost from science simply because women choose to become mothers. She also supports Slovak women scientists through the Slovak Association of Women Researchers and Innovators (SAVIA), which she co-founded.
Although Associate Professor Trommlerová is now engaged in interdisciplinary research at FSES CU, her path to gender-related topics did not begin in university libraries but in everyday life in Slovakia in the 1990s. “Growing up, I encountered very strong sexism in my immediate surroundings, including demeaning remarks and jokes about women. This shaped a strong sense of justice in me already during my teenage years. My interest in gender differences therefore has a very personal origin.”
From global puzzles to the “motherhood penalty”
This internal compass accompanied her during her studies of international economics at the University of Göttingen and development economics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Her academic interests were shaped by leading economists such as Professor Stephan Klasen, a student of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. They drew attention to the striking fact that around 100 million women are “missing” worldwide due to gender discrimination - a phenomenon known as “missing women”. “In developing countries, gender inequality goes to the core. It is a matter of survival and health. If a boy falls ill, the family will usually pay for a doctor, but not for a sick girl, who often dies as a result. During my PhD, I also studied child marriages in Bangladesh, affecting girls as young as ten or twelve,” she explains.
These extreme cases led her to view economics through a human rights lens. In her view, such experience is also essential for understanding barriers that are less visible in Europe but still present. Her current research focuses on gender aspects in the European context. Notably, her work on the so-called motherhood penalty shows that while childless women earn similarly to men, the arrival of a child leads to a sharp drop in both earnings and career progression for mothers. “Both the European Commission and I, as a researcher, are interested in how to change this so that women do not have to choose between family and career. It is a decision that men almost never have to make. Yet in all developed countries, motherhood still entails a significant loss in income and long-term career prospects.”
Data as a tool for fairness
Sofia Trommlerová’s current research connects economics with demography and political science. Under Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, she is analysing, in two projects, the low representation of women in parliament, as well as family policies and fertility trends in Slovakia. In another project, she examines the situation of single-parent families. “Many women in Slovakia are not even aware of the number of systemic barriers they face until someone names them. It is important to talk to both women and men about how the way our society is structured affects our private lives and decisions. Science provides us with precise data that can help design fairer public policies,” she explains.
Her work has a strong international dimension, confirmed by her return to Slovakia in 2022 after securing a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions EU grant. This enabled her to conduct research at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University on the impact of pregnancy benefits on fertility, linking world-class research with concrete domestic challenges. She continues to expand her activities beyond Slovakia and is currently a member of a European consortium led by leading Spanish researchers. Together, they are applying for a major European grant that would allow them to compare, in depth and on an international scale, the career differences and barriers faced by mothers versus fathers of young children.
Science as a long-distance run
Associate Professor Trommlerová points out that career pauses are particularly unforgiving in academia. If a woman leaves research for three years due to childcare, she loses continuity, grants, and professional networks. “When she returns after a longer break, she often has to start again from scratch. The Slovak Academy of Sciences has already introduced return grants for mothers, and universities could follow this example. If the state invests in the education of talented women but does not create conditions for their return to science after maternity leave, it is a waste of potential that we as a society cannot afford,” she notes.
Her motivation to create a fairer environment is also reflected in her engagement with the younger generation. She has a clear message for girls: “Working in science is rewarding because it is creative: you are constantly solving puzzles that you enjoy. If you are curious, do not let stereotypes discourage you. Those of us who have been in science longer are trying to pave the way for you, for future generations, so that you can enjoy fairer conditions and can fully develop your talent. Every tiny bit by which you move knowledge forward has real value.”