The obstacles faced by women who succeeded may only have been insufficient to deter them due to a singular factor, that they may be aware of, and can speak towards.

For example, my mother had me at 18, and managed to struggle through college anyway. The reason she was even able to go to school is she had 2 sisters that could take turns babysitting me. If she had 1 sister, it wouldn't have been tenable. If she didn't have a family, same.

So she's very much aware of how difficult it was to get through college, and she readily says "if it weren't for your aunts, I would never have a degree."