Thank you for your interest in being a participant in this article. This is clearly a topic which has meaning to you. Please share a bit about your background with emphasis on how and why you became interested in a career in a STEM focused field. Also share some of the insight you have gained working in a STEM field as it related to underrepresented groups such as young women.
I was more maths and science oriented – even learning music I took a mathematical approach. My arts loving mother didn’t quite get me nor my desire for a set of lego and model train rather than the latest doll set! One of the funniest times in my career was when I worked at Unisys in the UK where I was the only girl in a team of 23 men. The emails the team lead sent around were usually titled “lady and gents” and while this is a funny anecdote it also highlights how under-represented women often are in this fields.
“Go Science Girls” quotes the following statistics, “…in the United States, women make up only ¼ of the entire STEM workforce. Contrarily, women dominate men when it comes a STEM degree. Further statistics show that women constitute 15% of the engineering force and 25% of the computer and mathematical sciences. In Australia, women made up 27% of the STEM workforce in 2016. There are various reasons for such a meager constitution of women in STEM. The prime reason is the lack of practical experiences. Women have been quoted saying that they love STEM activities, but the lack of practical exercises discouraged them from building a career in the field.”
These are not new facts and figures but rather ones that have been heard time and again. What do you feel can be done to decrease the implication that women are not well suited to these careers while increasing the number of young women pursuing a career in these fields?
I think it’s really a Catch-22. What opportunities are available to apply the learning? What jobs will use what is learned at college? There is a disconnect between “what I can do with this to make a living” versus as clear a path in more traditional paths such as nursing, teaching, etc.
If women continue to remain underrepresented in these critical areas their input may not be translated and included into products developed for future use. How may this lack of inclusion impact the future development of products? (This includes retail, medical, sports, the arts etc.)
This just highlights the importance of addressing the imbalance. If products do not reflect the female perspective then they will fail wen they come to market.
Many of us have worked for companies that require, value, and reward critical thinking, problem solving and collaborations. These skills, along with other skills, are key elements to all aspects of living and is especially required in areas such as technology, science, medicine to name a few areas. What are the positive ways to engage underrepresented groups in acquiring these skills?
There is a common theme here – opportunities have to exist and a clear path on how to get there. For those in positions of leadership they need to demonstrate a clear path on how schools/colleges can demonstrate the opportunities for women in technology and science disciplines.
What is the most positive experience/job you have personally had relating to your knowledge of or engagement with STEM field topics? How did you acquire the skills needed to arrive at a state of accomplishment?
Currently I am assisting Microsoft’s Chief Medical Officer in various responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was one of those things that my company was asked to provide a senior level comms/PM resource for 3 weeks earlier this year (March when the world turned upside down). This was too short an engagement for us to assign one of our consultants and it we were already told this engagement was going to be a bit like jumping on a moving train. Needless to say the 3 weeks has now stretched to 8 months and is still going. While I’m mostly bringing disparate parts of Microsoft and their various external partners together we have worked on the CDC’s self survey tool, attestation tools now used in various formats around the world and currently possible vaccine delivery platforms for when one or more vaccines are available. While I’ve had many rewarding experiences/opportunities throughout my career – this very strange year has certainly provided a completely unexpected one. I am lucky that my company, Amaxra, is very stable now in it’s 13th year with a fantastic business management team which allowed me to take on this engagement knowing Amaxra would still continue just fine and my team would reach out to me when my input/decision was needed. This engagement has been a culmination of many previous jobs I have undertaken enabling me to just cut through the obstacles and get the required end result. It was also nice to get my feet “wet” again (so to speak) after many years of running a business consulting firm with day-to-day business challenges.
Finding a good mentor in a career is one key element to success. Each of you have been both mentee and mentor. As a mentee what was the most valuable advice or experience you have had thus far in your career? How can underrepresented individuals become adept at seeking mentorship? As successful individuals, how can we ensure we look to be more inclusive in tossing out our ‘mentorship net’?
I always encourage those looking for mentorship to break down their needs. There may be a mentor to help with confidence, or a mentor who has already taken the path you wish to follow (career-wise) so can help you know the steps/preparation to take. This was advice one of my first mentors provided me which I have then passed on to anybody I have mentored. Don’t look for everything in one person – there will be different mentors at different times as well as more than one mentor at one time throughout the career journey. The other piece of advice I always give folk is don’t be afraid to ask. What have you got to lose when the worst response you may get is “no” because maybe they don’t have the time or feel they can help. And you may be surprised at how many people are very flattered to be asked to provide mentorship in some capacity.
One of the most visible challenges women face today is patriarchy. As a general rule, the way women and men are taught to speak, and act is often very dissimilar. Men are taught to problem solve and speak with authority while women are taught to be demure and defer. This behavior is exhibited in the home, in school and extra-curricular activities as well as the workplace. How can we impact change to eliminate these stereotypical actions? What change do you believe it would have the most impact on ensuring young women step more fully into leadership roles?
I would actually refer to this blog which Amaxra republished from a good friend of mine, Hayden Hainsworth who is General Manager for Microsoft’s Cybersecurity Response Center (MSRC). This blog really spoke to me and is worth linking to here.
The number of women in CxO roles has grown but very slowly. There is a need to have more females at the table, making decisions and providing a much needed balance. If you had a magic wand and could make three changes to increase these roles, what would you change and why?
This is a difficult one. Women shouldn’t and don’t want to be chosen just for the numbers (token female) BUT if we don’t set a specific goal of “x” woman on boards, in senior leadership positions or wherever they are underrepresented, we will never solve the problem. Unfortunately, I do think it is by setting goals and requiring companies to be accountable that they are giving women the same leadership opportunities as men are provided with is the only way to truly address this imbalance. The other way is for women to be entrepreneurs and form their own companies and therefore create their own leadership opportunities for themselves and other women. This is what I did and I’ve been proud to say that Amaxra has always given as many opportunities to woman and other diverse categories as we are able to.
I always think of the example I’ve seen in play many times when someone of one country is speaking to a non-native language speaker and the speaker increases their volume in hopes that translation will instantly occur based on a louder volume on their part. In retrospect, have you found you may have responded oddly to someone who is different than yourself? (age, country of origin, sex, race, etc.) How did your response help/hurt your business needs? What would you do differently today? How does this apply to being more inclusive in our thinking with regard to women as underrepresented individuals?
As a non-American initially (now citizen) who grew up in Australia and then lived in the UK before moving to the US, I think I’m more conscious of this than most. Even sometimes saying something from my childhood can draw completely blank stares. I’ve learned to diffuse this by saying “I guess I’m speaking non-American again” or “I speak 3 different dialects of English” although usually intended to be amusing there is an underlying point here. Another example I was given early on during my time in the UK was when a business colleague gave me some great advice the first time I was going to France when he told me ask in French (I don’t speak French) “parlez-vous Anglais?” to anybody I needed to speak to. Mostly the person asked would answer in English or at least be OK to try whereas just launching into English and assuming the other party spoke it is arrogant and deserves to be met with disdain. This example always showed me to try and look from the other side or think about what and how you are saying may be received. As women – we need to do this also and not be afraid to say what we are thinking and ensure we say what we want to say with confidence and courage.
When you think about giving advice or providing your input on issues facing young women entering into STEM field jobs, what would your biggest piece of advice be? As you respond to this question, think about the following: Why would you give this advice? What difference could your advice make in someone’s life? Did you have a similar experience and who helped you through it?
As already highlighted here there is often a disconnect between what is provided in a STEM degree/program and how to use that to obtain a real life job. For those entering into STEM field jobs now they need to hold their teachers and mentors accountable to the path that will follow to career success. At the same time, all of us women who are lucky enough to be working in STEM related jobs, we need to create as many opportunities including working with colleges to ensure what is studied apples to the real world and the dots can be connected.
What one thought, piece of advice or discussion point would you add to this article?
Given the amount of purchasing power women have, it is important that ALL voices are well represented in all aspects of daily life. If women continue to remain underrepresented in these critical STEM areas how will their input be translated and included into our day to day needs and products? How may this lack of inclusion impact the future development of products? (This includes retail, medical, sports, the arts etc.)
I do think the Covid Pandemic, while an awful event we all can wish never happened, is actually going to also have some positive outcomes. Working remotely, working from home, flexible working hours/locations, work-life balance (sometimes harder when you work/play/live in the same place) are all going to be different by the time our world returns to normal (IF it ever returns to where we were before Covid). I’m hopeful that some of these changes will redress the balance of women mostly being the caretaker of the family, the parent who needs to stay home from work if a child is sick. The altered universe that has become 2020 is the chance for many changes in the traditional ways of work, engagement and how employees are assessed. Let’s ensure there is something positive that comes out of the world literally turning itself upside down.