Written by Susu Wong, MBA, de la Femme COO.

My company recently posted an entry-level administrative position, and I have been surprised to find that over 90% of the applicants are women with bachelor’s degrees who were predominately majoring in liberal arts, journalism, sociology, and business administration, etc.   One can argue that this is attributed to the weak economy and there is a lack of job openings, but if this is the case, why aren’t men applying?  Perhaps one of the reasons is because men tend to shy away from liberal arts type courses and pursue science and engineering degrees.

Between 2000 and 2008, the total number of 4-year engineering degrees awarded in the US increased from 59,497 to 69,895. Of the over 10,000 additional degrees, nearly all of them went to male students. While the number of degrees awarded to females remained constant at around 12,500, those awarded to males increased by about 1,200 per year; from 47,281 in 2000 to 57,977 in 2008. This increase in turn reduced the percentage of women receiving engineering degrees by about 2 percent, from 20.5% to 18.5%. [1]

According to the statistics from the National Science Foundation, half of the workers in science and engineering occupations earned $70,600 or more in 2007, more than double the median earnings ($31,400) of the total U.S. workforce.  Workers with science and engineering degrees, regardless of their occupations, earn more than workers with comparable-level degrees in other fields. [2]

There seems to be a direct correlation in wage gap because women are starting their early careers in lower-level administrative positions while their male counterparts are pursuing science and engineering fields, hence men are advancing their careers at a much faster pace.   This is one of the reasons why women are generally making less money than men and can’t seem to get ahead.

In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), women’s progress has been slower, especially in engineering, computer science, and physics.  According to a study conducted by AAUW, the findings are organized into three areas: social and environmental factors shaping girls’ achievements and interest in math and science; the college environment; and the continuing importance of bias, often operating at an unconscious level, as an obstacle to women’s success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Middle school and High school teachers have to proactively cultivate girls’ achievements, interest, and persistence in science and engineering.  Many girls show aptitude and interest in math and science through middle school. Whether driven by social pressures or other factors, a large percentage of these girls do not persist through high school in taking the necessary courses needed to major in science and engineering in college.

Possible solutions:

We need to have more female role models and mentors who have demonstrated success in science and technology.  We have to break the stereotype that women engineers are geeky and unpopular.

1. Internship: Female students tend to go to liberal arts programs because they are often undecided in declaring their majors.  One of the best ways to explore options is internship.  Programs and flexible course options that allow students to explore both a STEM field and a non-STEM field major as a freshman may encourage more women to select a STEM major.
2. Get college involvement: College professors need to create college environments and develop programs that support women in science and engineering, and counteract bias.
3. Conduct informational interviews: Conduct informational interviews or meetings with practicing professionals for the purpose of learning more about their jobs. This type of interview provides a rare opportunity to gain invaluable, up-to-date knowledge about a specific business or industry from an “insider.”
4. Find a mentor: There are a lot of resources on mentorship. For example, The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) offers local Mentoring program, resources.  Another good site to consider is MentorNet, which offers a matching service for both mentors and mentees.

Ultimately, the decision rests on the individual’s preferences and interest, but at least she is choosing her field with eyes wide open.

Written by Brandy Houser, PhD, de la Femme co-founder.

Thanks to Betty Friedan, the voice of the 1950’s housewife was finally heard.  “There has to be more than this, more than cleaning after a husband and the children.”  Women, and society, have come a long way from this – but are we there yet?  The second wave feminist movement women fought to grant us reproductive rights (Roe vs. Wade, 1973), advanced educational and extracurricular opportunities (Title IX, 1972), and equal places in the workforce (affirmative action, expansion in 1967 to include gender).  Yet, have we really reached true gender equality?

Today, girls are outpacing their male peers throughout their education.  But we have yet to see a female president or even a board comprised of at least 50% women in a fortune 1000 company.  Strong women leaders who challenge their male opponents are often ostracized (since women are supposed to sweet and compliant) leaving only derogatory names to suffice as adjectives.  Beyond demeanor, women are still noted for clothing style (The Male Factor).  Women not only have to work harder than their male counterparts for the same job (Gorman and Kmec, 2007), the same wage (CNN, 2010), but they have to look good (but not too good) while doing so.  Not even Jackie Kennedy could have pulled off what Sheryl Sandberg does on a daily basis – and in such nice attire!  Even beyond career, clothing, and dealing with men who cannot handle emotion – women still manage nearly 70% of the childcare responsibilities at home (Sheryl Sandberg, TEDwomen).  How can workplace equality exist when it doesn’t even exist at home?

Stereotypes come in all forms- from cultural to religious and certainly including gender.  Women leaders are seen as supportive while male leaders are seen as influencing upward movement (Catalyst).  Why?  And, how does this cultural perspective affect women (and men) in the workplace today?  In Shaunti Feldhan’s The Male Factor, male colleagues who see a female colleague become even marginally emotional, automatically distrust their ability to think clearly.  However, it has been shown that women can process emotions at the same time that they need to be clearly thinking.

How will we move past these stereotypes?  Work.  Men and women today need to recognize the power that all women harness in the workplace and how leveraging these untapped skill sets will lead to more successful business operations, better work-life balance overall, and economic prosperity for our world.

Shared by Brandy Houser, PhD, de la Femme co-founder.

I thought that this was a great article to share:

An international survey comparing the career experiences of 15,000 physicists from 130 developed and developing nations finds that women around the world experience a tilted playing field. Across the board, the study finds, men have greater access than women to opportunities and resources, and their careers suffer less when they have children.

The survey is the third global poll in a decade to address the experiences of female physicists, but is the first to include men. Global Survey of Physicists: A Collaborative Effort Illuminates the Situation of Women in Physics was produced by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) in College Park, Maryland, with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation in New York. Rachel Ivie, assistant director of the AIP’s Statistical Research Center and a report co-author, says that the data on men allowed her to compare experiences. “We knew things were unequal, but not this unequal,” she says.

J. ENDICOTT/CORBIS

The survey reveals few differences in the degree of gender inequality between developed and developing countries. Women consistently describe getting fewer international offers than men, less access to lab space and travel funds, and fewer invitations to speak and calls to serve on important committees. They also report that having children slows their careers to a greater degree.

Ivie says that two factors contribute to these problems. First, physics remains a male-dominated field, operating through an old boy network. “It’s not that senior people actively exclude women; they just don’t think of recommending them for key posts or inviting them to speak at conferences,” says Ivie.

Elizabeth Freeland, a physics postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, agrees. “This is an unconscious bias — which makes it harder but not impossible to get past,” she says.

**Continue reading here: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/science/articles/10.1038/nj7348-547a

Written by Michael Hoffman, MBA, de la Femme CFO.

I’d like to expand on why I’m taking special (professional) time out for women and why I chose de la Femme.  With many years of experience interacting with women from different vantage points – as colleagues, classmates, subordinates and bosses – I am struck by a strange situation.   I actually find women in general to be more competent, more effective and more enjoyable to work with than men, again in general.  Yet it’s men who almost always are entrusted positions of leadership.  Men enjoy the hunt, are good launching things and with our healthy (?) egos like to lead with authority.  Yet it’s women, again in general, who can lead for the long-term, as stewards who can nurture and lead organizations with compassionate intelligence.  It is this  large divide, the gender gap, that keeps the upcoming competent woman from rising the ranks quickly and from getting her deserved opportunities, that needs to be addressed.   The wiser organizations understand  that when both men and women have ample opportunities for leadership and responsibilities, the best things happen.  I view de la Femme as one healthy initiative to get us there.

Shared by Brandy Houser, PhD, de la Femme co-founder.

In my usual way of perusing any literature that has to do with gender gap, I came across this article:

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/03/a_study_in_leadership_women_do.html.

Interestingly, it discusses the difference between men and women and their leadership styles.  Honestly, I have had both positive and negative experiences from each gender.  However, I must admit that my most positive and my most negative was always a man – whereas the ladies landed somewhere in between.  With all of this being said, I only recently began working in the Boston area with leadership and guidance from an amazing woman.  Perhaps this experience will fall in line with the results from the article.  Check it out!