The Under-Representation of Women in Science & Engineering - Part II
It is a well known fact that the number of young women gravitating to IT has been declining for some time. While this issue may be more complex than meets the eye and possibly unknown, there have been some potential reasons cited.
Science and engineering have traditionally been male dominated fields and hence, a possible reason for women shying away from it. By nature, people tend to gravitate more towards what is familiar to them, what they understand, and what/who is like them. If 80 percent of the field is men, then it is plausible that women will associate it with being more suitable for men. I recall hearing a presentation by the CEO of Tibco, Vivek Ranadive, in which he said that A players hire A players, B players hire B players, C players hire C players, and so forth. This analogy probably holds true for the science and engineering field as well. We generally hire like-minded people or people we can relate to and this is possibly the case in science and engineering where men may be more prone to hire more men given a certain comfort level. It's just human nature.
Early childhood development plays a part as well. While, it helps to have a natural affinity to a skill or field, that interest can be cultivated and fostered as well. From a young age, boys are trained to engage in activities that are fundamental to science and engineering – that is, building and constructing with Legos, experimenting with science lab sets, etc. So, this becomes learned and a natural extension of what they know and understand and hence, they gravitate to those types of professions in adulthood. So, the beginnings of this issue may well be more grounded in societal, cultural, and behavioral influences from early childhood.
By the same token, the lateralization of brain functions has been attributed with predetermining our natural disposition. The left side has been associated with being logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective, language, and looking at parts; whereas, the right side with being random, intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, subjective, and looking at wholes. The general theory is that men are more left brain thinkers and women right brain thinkers – with the exception of language and communication skills which are left brain functions. It is well-known that women are generally more communicative, they use more words in speaking, and tend to be more expressive than men. Such stereotypes are also changing but still hold value. Men may say less and use fewer words but are nonetheless clear and effective communicators. It may also be another reason why there are more men in IT as it involves less people interaction and more interaction with machinery or mechanical objects such as a computer and is therefore considered less social; whereas, women are generally more social beings. The view by women that IT is isolating may be an outdated view of technology as the dynamics of it have changed and it is becoming much more of a team sport that may be appealing to women.
The science and engineering field also has a higher barrier to entry as it requires more education and training. For the most part, at a minimum a college degree or undergraduate university degree, and more often post-graduate degrees are standard requirements depending on the job level. However, there is also a pay difference between men and women in IT, for instance, with men earning more. So, even with the steep investment of time and capital into studies in this field, women may still earn less than their male counterparts; thereby, making the effort less enticing and rewarding to women in considering their future careers and choosing fields of studies. According to a survey conducted by Dice.com, the tech pay gap between men and women grew in 2007 but the pay gap narrows as women move toward managerial ranks. In 2006, the difference in salaries between men and women was 9.7 percent but this gap increased in 2007 with men making 12 percent more than women in IT. The survey also found that salaries for men increased by 2.4 percent in 2007 but stayed unchanged for women. The average salary for 2007 for men was $76,582, and $67,507 for women, representing a significant $10K or so difference. While there are other careers outside of science and engineering where men also earn more than women, it still does not help the case for science and engineering with women – all things considered. Also, because of the educational background required, economics may also play a deterring role in this. For those who cannot afford the cost of college or cannot afford to go to school full-time, this presents a barrier to entry into the field. Grants and scholarships can assist in such cases, if there are adequate numbers available.
Educational biases also exist at a systemic level. Little girls are encouraged and expected to take home economics classes, for example; on the flip side, boys may be ostracized for doing the same. And, girls may be considered 'different' for opting for hard core math and science classes or applied engineering classes such as woodworking or metal workshops.
Another disincentive for women to entering the science and engineering field is the fear that their jobs will eventually be outsourced. Outsourcing is a growing trend in many industries including the IT and research and development fields. However, many mid-level management jobs are being retained in the U.S. In fact, outsourcing has also been known to produce higher level management jobs in the U.S. Also, many outsourcing projects require a project manager(s) in the U.S. even if the offshore outfit has a project manager on their end for the same project. However, liaising with offshore workers in different time zones can mean working at unconventional hours which may not be appealing or conducive to family life.
Additionally, there are other corporate dynamics such as the fact that boardroom decisions are sometimes made on the golf course and women may not be part of it. They may simply not be considered a part of the boys' club. Also, it is plausible that if women are being paid less, then they are valued less than their male colleagues and will likely be passed up for promotions. So, the metaphorical glass ceiling does exist for women in that regard and as a result, they are choosing other careers to ensure they don't hit it or their jobs don’t.
The perceived lack of creativity in science and engineering is also cited as yet another reason women may be shunning the field. According to an article in InfoWorld: "More troubling for IT is that many women are choosing professions they believe provide the greatest latitude to innovate freely and openly -- and IT is no longer considered one of them. While the 1990s saw a fair number of women innovating within the tech industry, these days the common belief is that there are far fewer outlets for women to work creatively within IT, making other occupations more compelling to those driven to deliver new solutions to practical problems."
IT is also highly fast-paced and demanding, and as a result, provides less flexibility for working mothers trying to maintain and balance a career in technology. According to a recent study conducted by Catalyst in conjunction with the Families and Work Institute and the Center for Work and Family at Boston College, 74 percent of women executives have a spouse/partner who is employed full-time; whereas, 75 percent of male executives have a spouse/partner who stays home full-time. Despite progress in attitudes towards these issues, this evidence suggests that women are still responsible for most of the household duties as well as still predominantly bear the burden of balancing career and home. And in the case of women looking to start a family as well as further their career, timing can be a significant barrier. For staff, men and women alike, the work/life balance can be more of an issue in IT than in other fields, given the 365 days a year and 24/7 operability needs which can sometimes mean unpredictable hours. Not all companies in the industry offer flex-time, job-share, and tele-commuting options which can help to meet both the needs of both employer and employee. As experts suggest, flexibility creates a very productive, efficient, stable, and devoted workforce. Additionally, for new mothers or women taking time off to spend with their families, keeping up with the pace of technology after a hiatus can be daunting. A lot of changes transpire on a daily basis much less the six months an expectant mother might take for maternity leave.
Others suggest that day care is another key benefit companies should consider offering to retain top talented women in the long term – especially those in key roles. Onsite day care or flexible spending accounts can help prevent otherwise talented women from having to make a choice of family over career. Many high tech companies provide onsite day care services. However, not all employees at all levels within some of these companies can afford the day care rates intended for them. And there are also companies that go off the deep-end with onsite service benefits for employees that are designed less around supporting their employees and more to keep them from leaving the campus and working more, thereby, creating a different kind of imbalance.
In Part III of this post, I will outline the business case for having more women in Science and Engineering.
Related Post: Part I
Sources: InfoWorld I & II, ComputerWorld, Dice, Encarta
Science and engineering have traditionally been male dominated fields and hence, a possible reason for women shying away from it. By nature, people tend to gravitate more towards what is familiar to them, what they understand, and what/who is like them. If 80 percent of the field is men, then it is plausible that women will associate it with being more suitable for men. I recall hearing a presentation by the CEO of Tibco, Vivek Ranadive, in which he said that A players hire A players, B players hire B players, C players hire C players, and so forth. This analogy probably holds true for the science and engineering field as well. We generally hire like-minded people or people we can relate to and this is possibly the case in science and engineering where men may be more prone to hire more men given a certain comfort level. It's just human nature.
Early childhood development plays a part as well. While, it helps to have a natural affinity to a skill or field, that interest can be cultivated and fostered as well. From a young age, boys are trained to engage in activities that are fundamental to science and engineering – that is, building and constructing with Legos, experimenting with science lab sets, etc. So, this becomes learned and a natural extension of what they know and understand and hence, they gravitate to those types of professions in adulthood. So, the beginnings of this issue may well be more grounded in societal, cultural, and behavioral influences from early childhood.
By the same token, the lateralization of brain functions has been attributed with predetermining our natural disposition. The left side has been associated with being logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective, language, and looking at parts; whereas, the right side with being random, intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, subjective, and looking at wholes. The general theory is that men are more left brain thinkers and women right brain thinkers – with the exception of language and communication skills which are left brain functions. It is well-known that women are generally more communicative, they use more words in speaking, and tend to be more expressive than men. Such stereotypes are also changing but still hold value. Men may say less and use fewer words but are nonetheless clear and effective communicators. It may also be another reason why there are more men in IT as it involves less people interaction and more interaction with machinery or mechanical objects such as a computer and is therefore considered less social; whereas, women are generally more social beings. The view by women that IT is isolating may be an outdated view of technology as the dynamics of it have changed and it is becoming much more of a team sport that may be appealing to women.The science and engineering field also has a higher barrier to entry as it requires more education and training. For the most part, at a minimum a college degree or undergraduate university degree, and more often post-graduate degrees are standard requirements depending on the job level. However, there is also a pay difference between men and women in IT, for instance, with men earning more. So, even with the steep investment of time and capital into studies in this field, women may still earn less than their male counterparts; thereby, making the effort less enticing and rewarding to women in considering their future careers and choosing fields of studies. According to a survey conducted by Dice.com, the tech pay gap between men and women grew in 2007 but the pay gap narrows as women move toward managerial ranks. In 2006, the difference in salaries between men and women was 9.7 percent but this gap increased in 2007 with men making 12 percent more than women in IT. The survey also found that salaries for men increased by 2.4 percent in 2007 but stayed unchanged for women. The average salary for 2007 for men was $76,582, and $67,507 for women, representing a significant $10K or so difference. While there are other careers outside of science and engineering where men also earn more than women, it still does not help the case for science and engineering with women – all things considered. Also, because of the educational background required, economics may also play a deterring role in this. For those who cannot afford the cost of college or cannot afford to go to school full-time, this presents a barrier to entry into the field. Grants and scholarships can assist in such cases, if there are adequate numbers available.Educational biases also exist at a systemic level. Little girls are encouraged and expected to take home economics classes, for example; on the flip side, boys may be ostracized for doing the same. And, girls may be considered 'different' for opting for hard core math and science classes or applied engineering classes such as woodworking or metal workshops.
Another disincentive for women to entering the science and engineering field is the fear that their jobs will eventually be outsourced. Outsourcing is a growing trend in many industries including the IT and research and development fields. However, many mid-level management jobs are being retained in the U.S. In fact, outsourcing has also been known to produce higher level management jobs in the U.S. Also, many outsourcing projects require a project manager(s) in the U.S. even if the offshore outfit has a project manager on their end for the same project. However, liaising with offshore workers in different time zones can mean working at unconventional hours which may not be appealing or conducive to family life.
Additionally, there are other corporate dynamics such as the fact that boardroom decisions are sometimes made on the golf course and women may not be part of it. They may simply not be considered a part of the boys' club. Also, it is plausible that if women are being paid less, then they are valued less than their male colleagues and will likely be passed up for promotions. So, the metaphorical glass ceiling does exist for women in that regard and as a result, they are choosing other careers to ensure they don't hit it or their jobs don’t.
The perceived lack of creativity in science and engineering is also cited as yet another reason women may be shunning the field. According to an article in InfoWorld: "More troubling for IT is that many women are choosing professions they believe provide the greatest latitude to innovate freely and openly -- and IT is no longer considered one of them. While the 1990s saw a fair number of women innovating within the tech industry, these days the common belief is that there are far fewer outlets for women to work creatively within IT, making other occupations more compelling to those driven to deliver new solutions to practical problems."
IT is also highly fast-paced and demanding, and as a result, provides less flexibility for working mothers trying to maintain and balance a career in technology. According to a recent study conducted by Catalyst in conjunction with the Families and Work Institute and the Center for Work and Family at Boston College, 74 percent of women executives have a spouse/partner who is employed full-time; whereas, 75 percent of male executives have a spouse/partner who stays home full-time. Despite progress in attitudes towards these issues, this evidence suggests that women are still responsible for most of the household duties as well as still predominantly bear the burden of balancing career and home. And in the case of women looking to start a family as well as further their career, timing can be a significant barrier. For staff, men and women alike, the work/life balance can be more of an issue in IT than in other fields, given the 365 days a year and 24/7 operability needs which can sometimes mean unpredictable hours. Not all companies in the industry offer flex-time, job-share, and tele-commuting options which can help to meet both the needs of both employer and employee. As experts suggest, flexibility creates a very productive, efficient, stable, and devoted workforce. Additionally, for new mothers or women taking time off to spend with their families, keeping up with the pace of technology after a hiatus can be daunting. A lot of changes transpire on a daily basis much less the six months an expectant mother might take for maternity leave.
Others suggest that day care is another key benefit companies should consider offering to retain top talented women in the long term – especially those in key roles. Onsite day care or flexible spending accounts can help prevent otherwise talented women from having to make a choice of family over career. Many high tech companies provide onsite day care services. However, not all employees at all levels within some of these companies can afford the day care rates intended for them. And there are also companies that go off the deep-end with onsite service benefits for employees that are designed less around supporting their employees and more to keep them from leaving the campus and working more, thereby, creating a different kind of imbalance.
In Part III of this post, I will outline the business case for having more women in Science and Engineering.
Related Post: Part I
Sources: InfoWorld I & II, ComputerWorld, Dice, Encarta
Labels: internet, technology, women on the web
posted by Reshma Kumar at 12:51 PM
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Ada Lovelace, who is viewed as the first female computer programmer dating back to the 19th century can be credited with kicking off something; but, two centuries later we seem to be digressing or at least, progressing at a decelerating rate. In 2006, women made up only 26.7 percent of computer and mathematical positions according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, this has been a downward trend for some time dropping from 30% in 2000. Moreover, this decline has been happening across all IT job categories. Only 16 percent of all network and computer systems administrator positions were held by women in 2006, dropping from 23.4 percent in 2000. Women also only accounted for 27.2 percent of computer and IS managers in 2006 compared to the whopping 66 percent of all social and community service management jobs which they dominated. Overall, the downward trending has been so much that women make up 25 percent of today’s U.S. IT workforce – a 12 percent drop from 37 percent in the mid-1980s.
Mad Money's, Jim Cramer, was on the Today Show yesterday. As part of his predictions for 2008, the money man told host, Meredith Viera, that Google was a favorite of 2007 and that there would be a whole new generation of Google users this year. He didn't expound on this but it seems like Jim is betting his money on another up year for the search giant. In the short segment, Cramer didn't mention any other tech stocks. There was no ranting and raving involved :). (Image source: Time, CNBC/AP)
Like his nemesis, Hillary Clinton, and other presidential candidates, Barack Obama, too, made his pilgrimage to the mecca of high tech...Google. Barack was in town yesterday and spoke at the famous Charlie's Cafe at the Googleplex to an audience of about 1,500 employees. ![[From left to right] Jia Shen, CTO, Rock You; Jonathan Abrams, Founder & CEO, Socializr & Friendster; Daya Baran, President, WebGuild; Sundeep Ahuja, Founder, Appfuels](http://www.webguild.org/images/social-network5.jpg)
Last Wednesday, the WebGuild held its monthly event on the "
