OSPE - The Voice - June 2018 - 26
6 Experiencing harassment/bullying.
7 Feeling underemployed and not using my STEM skills to their full capacity.
FEATURE
8 Experiencing discrimination.
breaking barriers for women in
9 Feeling that I have weak professional networks.
% Female % Male
10 Work culture and job demands compete with family and/or community responsibilities.
11
12 Lack of mentorship opportunities and/or role models.
managers, co-workers, contractors, and/or clients.
13 Feeling disrespected and undervalued byAnswers
In the survey women STEM professionals were asked, 'If
were categorized in the following six general areas:
S T E M
you experienced any challenges, how did you overcome those
challenges?' The results are revealing and summarized in
Figure 2:
4
Persevere/Work Harder: 260 women responded, many
using one word, 'Persevere,' with this category as their number
one choice. Respondents said that they had to work harder to
prove their worth and show men they were equally capable of
5
6
7 of how
11
12 doing13the job.
8 STEM9Women10Professionals
Figure 2: Summary
Figure 6: Summary of How STEM Women Professionals Overcome Workplace Challenges (N=958)
Overcome Workplace Challenges
5%
19%
27%
ete with family and/or community responsibilities.
20%
19%
11%
Persevere/work harder
Openly communicate
Found Mentor/Group; Family support
Quit/change jobs
Haven't overcome
Upgrade skills/education
A total of 958 women responded to this open-ended
question. Many shared detailed and often intimate accounts of
their experiences and in many cases, struggles.
26
THE VOICE
June 2018
Openly Communicate: 192 women relied on open
communication to overcome or cope with challenges. They
indicated that by sharing their opinions and goals with
supervisors and co-workers, they achieved what they wanted.
However, open communication also meant that some women
needed to assertively speak with harassers to let their feelings be
Persevere/work
harder
known and
to convey that some behaviours
and verbalizations
are inappropriate.
Openly communicate
Found Mentor/Group; Family Support: 101 women
reported that finding a mentor, joining a networking group
or organization, or receiving family support helped them
Quit/change
jobs
overcome
challenges. It is especially
noteworthy that mentors
have a significant role in assisting women in their career success.
Haven't
Several women
stressedovercome
that joining groups like WiRE (Women
in Renewable Energy) provided great support.
Upgrade skills/education
Quit/Change Job: 180 women reported that they were
forced to or chose to quit their job to overcome challenges.
Many successfully quit to open their own businesses, while
others moved on to companies that were more respectful. It
was common for women to state they quit their job to raise a
family. Several individuals stated they quit private sector jobs for
government jobs as they found more equitable compensation
and greater respect.
Haven't Overcome: 178 women clearly stated they
haven't overcome the challenges they face. The overall
impression of comments expressed by people in this category
is that they have accepted there may be nothing they can do to
overcome challenges.
Upgrade Skills/Education: 47 women chose these
actions to overcome challenges. Some respondents mentioned
they are pursuing a graduate degree. Many mentioned upgrading
their skills either through self-study or formal professional
development. All respondents seemed to indicate their choice to
upgrade skills or education was a positive career move, although
several indicated they had no other choice if they wished to
advance.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - June 2018
Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - June 2018 - Cover1
OSPE - The Voice - June 2018 - Cover2
OSPE - The Voice - June 2018 - Table of Contents
OSPE - The Voice - June 2018 - 4
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