FEATURE breaking barriers for women in S T E M workplace encountering barriers* 1in3 * Experience pay inequities * Find it difficult to balance work, family and community responsibilities * Have weak professional networks 1in2 * Feel disrespected by managers, co-workers and/or clients * Feel there is a lack of mentorship and/or role models 1in4 * Experience discrimination * Face harassment and/or bullying * Are not fully utilizing their STEM skills in their current role key findings 1 2 3 4 Women across different STEM workplaces have common challenges; The percentage of women who experienced a number of the top challenges decreases significantly when there are more females in STEM roles in their workplace; Two out of three women report discrimination based on gender and one in four experience both gender and age discrimination; Differences between the number of women and men who experience the top challenges are significant at all career stages. breaking down barriers for women Activating Actions Activating Actions for employers * * * * * Appoint a Champion within your leadership team Assess your workplace culture Address unconscious bias Actively sponsor and mentor Appraise company policies and practices * Flexible work arrangement * Pay equity * Harassment/discrimination prevention * Parental leave for men and women * Recruitment and promotion * Measure your progress and celebrate successes Summary OSPE can only conclude that when 1,349 men and women out of almost 3,000 respondents have made often heartfelt comments about the challenges they face in their career advancement - Barriers. Exist. OSPE is not advocating the setting of quotas for women in the workplace, nor stating that all companies treat women with disrespect. We believe that barriers do exist, and it is time for cultural and workplace policy changes to eliminate any and all forms of discrimination and inequity. We need to ensure that STEM employers are attracting and retaining all of Canada's talent to drive innovation and keep our workforce competitive in the global economy. Download and read the full report on the www.letsbreakbarriers.ca website. *This data is based on 2,802 responses to an OSPE survey of STEM professionals from across Canada Nov 2017 - Jan 2018. (1727 females, 1172 males, 57 preferred not to answer) June 2018 THE VOICE 27http://www.letsbreakbarriers.ca