“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? (Editorial note – this is a very broad question. I encourage you to respond as your own experience & life choices/lessons dictates.)
Thankfully the number of girls and women studying and entering STEM related fields is increasing all the time. There are good programs in place in many parts of the country and growing in numbers. Practical experience offered to women will continue to increase because of the spotlight on the need and schools/companies taking that need more seriously. More successful women leading in STEM related fields is increasing. The more these accomplishments get highlighted, it helps change the gender bias that has been pervasive in tech related fields. Seeing more women role models helps inspire young women to enter the field. However, making sure they are set up for success once they start working is a bigger issue. Women are more likely to leave STEM fields than men because the work environment can feel isolating or hostile. Women I have mentored over the years talked about finding themselves isolated at best and deliberately shut out at worst. Deprived of the true collaboration and inclusion results in missed opportunities to learn, lack of information required to perform well in their role, and the camaraderie being part of team should provide. It takes more women (and enlightened men), in senior roles to advocate and ensure that women are fully included to break this cycle. Success breeds confidence which breeds more success clearing the path for more women.
It’s well documented that input and direction from women helps build products with broader market appeal and functionality. If the voice of women does not continue to grow, it will impact sales and profitability for companies, and the continued development of products and services that positively impact all our lives. You cannot have a customer centric product strategy without representation of over 50% of the world’s population in the development, marketing and sales of these products.
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?
These are critical skills everyone needs in life, not just work. As all countries continue to add more and more knowledge worker jobs vs labor jobs, development of these skills needs to be included into school curriculum at all levels and for all students. That is the starting point. Opportunities in the workplace to continue building these skills in the context of a chosen field of work, must be a part of all employee growth plans. Providing opportunity to practice these skills, get meaningful feedback, shadow mentors involved in higher level positions to gain firsthand experience, is also critically important. Ensuring that women know how to articulate their track record is an area were mentors can help. Women must be more comfortable talking about their skills, accomplishments and the impact their style of work can bring. Women are more prone than men to undersell their abilities and accomplishments.
My career in the technology industry has spanned 30 years at this point. Having the opportunity to build a broad base of experiences including Marketing, Sales, Business Development and Program Management, is a highlight. It provided opportunities for me in high impact programs involving new business model development and incubation. Each of these experiences led to bigger and more impactful opportunities. The leaders I worked for in these roles were strong leaders and highly supportive of women. If not for their investment in me, I would not have reached those levels of success and recognition. They believed in the work that I was doing, coached me through political pitfalls, ensured I had the information required, and the air cover. I also accumulated the skills I needed at each stage of my career through a few tremendous mentors and sponsors that took a personal interest in my success.
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’?
Advice is situational, so it is hard to pinpoint the most valuable advice.
Taking ownership of our own career path was a particularly good piece of advice I received early in my career but did not really heed the advice early enough in my career. Women are more apt to trust that great results, hard work and loyalty will move you forward in your career. While it does build your reputation, it may not get you to the next role in your career path. You need to make time to make connections that will help you find or create those next opportunities.
“Put your own oxygen mask on first”. There will be hard times in any career, how you respond to it is key. It is important to take care of yourself first, so you can take care of others on your team. Women are more likely to take care of the people around them, before themselves.
Be your authentic self and be true to your principles. In fields dominated by men or other homogeneous groups, there will be situations where you may be the only underrepresented person in the room or even on a team. Do not try to make yourself fit into the behavior norms of others to be accepted. Be yourself and bring your principles and expectations for behavior to the group.
I think it is important to clearly articulate what you need in a mentor. It should change throughout your career. There will be times when a mentor is what you need and other times when you may need a coach. The more articulate you can be about what your goals are, the more beneficial your mentor relationship will be. You should seek out both men and women as mentors in your career.
Trust is especially important in a managing relationship. If you work in a role where you do not trust your boss or leadership, you should look for a new role in another group or company. Working for people you trust and believe in is particularly important for your career growth and your wellbeing.
Traditional role dynamics are changing as new generations coming into the work force are more likely to have been raised to value women as equals or had a mother that worked in a senior role in her field. That is the good news. In 30 years of working, I have seen a big change in the mindset of younger men coming into the workforce. That said, there are still situations where patriarchic behavior does still exist in male dominated professions.
The change that needs to take place is not tolerating bias when you see it. If someone is being excluded or silenced, invite them to speak, ensure they have a voice in the room or situation and are treated respectfully. If you have a mentee that is having this issue, you can help by making sure they are prepared for meetings or situations where this may happen. Prepared by knowing their business and content inside and out and that they have tools to help them stand up for themselves if they are being shut down.
Women stepping more fully into leadership roles requires organizations to help prepare women more fully, including sponsorship. Sponsorship will ensure that women are building the experiences and capabilities that organizations are looking for so that when succession planning is occurring women will not be left out because there is a perceived mismatch between capabilities of a women candidate and the qualifications an organization is looking for.
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?
These disciplines provide an opportunity to build credibility with clear definable and measurable outcomes. They provide a solid foundation for the skill development that leadership teams and board of directors look for in future leaders and CxO roles; ability to successfully navigate ambiguity and complexity, take on risk and lead in an uncertain constantly evolving world.
This needs to be a thoughtful and well-developed part of the school curriculum, as well as businesses. The more qualified young women coming into corporations will continue to widen the road for all women. To this end, its important to instill the awareness, drive, skills and tools that help young women start out their professional lives with a better sense of their own power to build the careers they want.
When women reach the senior levels, crucial support relationships shift from mentors to sponsors. More sponsors are needed that will take a more hands-on role in managing career moves. Support programs are crucial to the development and promotion of women, but work best if there is discipline to stick with it. The capabilities companies are looking for; courage, risk-taking, resilience, and managing ambiguity are built through experience, both good and bad. Leaders and sponsors need to provide timely and candid feedback in all situations. If a high-risk role fails, women need sponsorship to regain their stride in another appropriate role. This ensures the lessons learned benefit the organization and the employee is not lost. I have learned as much or more from my failures, as I have my successes.
Everyone brings different experiences to any situation. It does not matter if it is an underrepresented person or other. Differences can be education, socio economic, religion, country of origin, age, communication style or just a different approach. It does not matter what the difference is, you should remain open and listen. Do not listen to respond, truly listen to what the other person is saying and help them by asking productive/clarifying questions. Do not dismiss people out of hand, because they are not communicating the way you want or need them too. Help them understand how the conversation could have gone better, so they can learn. Check yourself in the process, are you just being critical unnecessarily? Is there something you can change in your mindset to be more open?
I have had a broad set of people as mentees over the years. Women and Men from all a variety of countries, disciplines and varying career goals. I was usually asked to mentor them by their manager, or they came to me directly. Taking on a variety of different types of people helps you grow as a mentor and a leader.
When you think about giving advice or providing your input on issues facing young women entering 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?
Do not be afraid to try new things. Whether it is a new discipline, new tech or new career altogether, take risks. Take on new challenges you don’t think you’re ready for quite yet, it’s how you grow. It’s OK to be uncomfortable while you master new skills or technology. That’s how you demonstrate your willingness to take risks and the ability to adapt and respond to ever changing environments. It’s important that you expand your mentor or coaching ring to include someone who is successful in the new area. When you are learning a new skill or discipline do not be afraid to ask for help. It is a strength, not a weakness.
School age girls need to be exposed at a younger age to career options and what is required for entry into the areas, without making them feel like they are roped into one career for life. It’s interesting to ask successful people what they majored in. A lot of times you will be surprised by the answer based on the job they have. The most important thing is to build the capabilities that are in universal need; data analytics, breaking problems down, managing complex problems to completion, communication skills to just name a few. This will qualify you for a wider variety of careers than you realize. Highly specialized fields like medicine, engineering etc. are exceptions, but you can always get further education to make career changes if you decide to purse a new path.