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How Do We Move the Needle on Females in STEM Programs?

Written by Steven on September 17, 2022. Posted in Stats & Researches, Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

A significant push to increase the number of girls enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs have been made in recent years. While this is an important goal, simply getting more girls into these programs is not enough. We need to make sure that they are successful in these programs if we want to see real change.

Accenture and Girls Who Code conducted research in the United States and established that even if there are more women in IT areas now than there were decades ago, the proportion of women to men in tech roles has decreased approximately over the last three decades. Women continue to constitute a small minority of the teams that design and build the technologies that are critical to development. Approximately only 28% of women work in the STEM field, which means that many talented and capable women do not get the opportunities to pursue careers in these industries.

So how do we move the needle on females in STEM programs? Read this blog discover the key strategies that could make a real difference and move the needle on female success in STEM programs.

Mind Your Language

This simply means being mindful of what we put out in the world as corporates. For example, the language used in job descriptions may unintentionally turn women off before they even begin. When hiring, use tools such as Textio, which ensure that your job descriptions are gender-neutral. You can run it through your job descriptions to look for words that speak to specific genders and ways to avoid unintentional bias.

Support more women-led digital businesses.

Digital companies with venture capital funds that support startups can also be a significant catalyst for increasing the number of women in tech. These are women who are working in digital companies and creating and leading them. In 2019, women-led startups received an astoundingly meager 2.8% of VC funding. In 2020, the overall VC funding to women fell to 2.3%. This massive gender gap in VC funding makes it more difficult for women to secure the capital they need to grow their tech businesses.

In addition to VC investments, companies can provide mentorship, resources, and networking to women-led tech startups through accelerators, incubators, or innovation labs.

Cropped shot of businesspeople shaking hands in an office

Avail gender diversity data to the public.

It is impossible to establish the exact composition of women in these firms unless companies disclose data on the number of women on their teams. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of the United States requires businesses to report occupational data by gender (and other criteria like ethnicity). Even in mandatory cases, some companies do not make this report public.

We can only compare data from different companies against the desired change when company disclosures make the information public. The 30% Club targets 30% female representation at the highest governance body level. It bases this on the premise that underrepresented voices are only heard, and their representation is normalized at 30%. Recent research by the Digital Inclusion Benchmark showed that although most of the 150 tech companies reported the composition of women on their Board of Directors, just 54 of these firms had the minimum 30% female representation on their board. Most of those companies were based in Europe or the United States.

4. Experiment with simple validation forms.

You don’t need to launch a full-fledged company-wide initiative to encourage women to pursue careers in technology. Try something as simple as saying “Good idea” when a female coworker suggests something you like. It is a simple way of showing support and making someone feel more confident. Shake things up in meetings by sitting somewhere new or having the attendees room switch places. These are small gestures that can have a big impact on how people interact and feel heard.

5. Create a standard definition for ‘technical roles.’

The number of women working at a digital company should not be a definition of ‘women in tech.’ While female representation at all levels is critical, it is also critical to understand what a technical role at a company entails. Are women working in call centers and human resources, or are they part of teams designing, building, and programming digital devices and services?

As per the World Economic Forum, women comprise only 14% of the workforce in Cloud Computing, 20% in Engineering, and 32% in Data and AI. While these are useful data points, they appear incomplete because they are based on LinkedIn data from only 20 economies. The Digital Inclusion Benchmark tracks how companies define technical roles in the benchmark, and it is clear that companies are struggling to define this category.

Some businesses refer to technical roles as “STEM-related” or “technical,” while others, such as Telstra, use the Australian Workforce Gender Equality Agency’s definition, which includes “Information Media and Telecommunications” as a category. With so many definitions of a technical role, it’s difficult to know who a company’s annual report refers to when it mentions “women in technical roles.” So, reaching an agreement on defining technical roles is the first step toward determining how many women truly work in technical roles in digital companies.

6. Engage with and impact the Community.

Recruiting a new generation of women is another critical component of moving the needle on women in technology. CODeLLA in Miami helps girls see a future in technology by bringing in interesting speakers and connecting them with hands-on projects. Its objective is to inspire the coming generation of Latina innovators to solve problems and create digital content.

Shot of a group of creative professionals using a digital tablet during a meeting in a modern office

7. Do not exclude anyone.

When planning events for the company, keep inclusivity in mind. Be aware that team activities outside work hours may exclude parents, particularly working mothers.

Final Take away

The time has come to move the needle in female representation in the tech industry. Companies need to establish common definitions for ‘technical roles,’ disclose gender diversity data, and increase their support for female-led tech startups and businesses.

Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit

Written by Steven Thompson on June 16, 2021. Posted in Job Market, Recruiters, Uncategorized. 3 Comments

Want to learn Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit?. At the time of hiring, taking a decision can be harder and challenging. How can you ensure if the potential candidate is actually a solid fit? There is a lot in the pipeline, after all. However, take time to step back and evaluate your candidates as per guidelines that we are going to let you know, you will find Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit.

Once Archimedes said,

Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth

So. only you have to stand at the right place, at the right time with right tool, you can move the earth as well.

So, here are the Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit.

Paint A Picture of Your Ideal Candidate

Before starting the search for the candidates, identify the traits, skill set and other requirements you have. Paint a picture in your head of what your ideal candidate looks like. Doubtlessly, this one is the No. 1 way among the Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit.

Keep these questions in your mind and try to find out the answers.

Are they strong critical thinkers and communicators?
Are they highly organized and detail-oriented?
Do you need someone who is extrovert, friendly and works well in a team environment?

Outline those details before you start looking for in a new hire. Consequently, you can easily screen the candidates to find the candidate who fits in your requirements.

Behavioral-Based Evaluation

While going through the interview process, you should include some of the behavioral-based questions. For example, if you are searching for a Customer Service Representative, ask about the time they dealt with an unhappy and furious customer and how they managed to handle it. This way, you will have some insights into their skills and abilities. In addition to this, inquire how they work under pressure.

Keep Company Culture in Mind

When it comes about finding a solid fit for your company, you should keep company culture in mind. This is because you need employees who can do and willing to do more than performing the job, but who will also mesh well with the environment and other team members. If don’t, they can disrupt your workforce and can create problems with morale and productivity of other team members.

Assign Them With A Task

If you have a top few candidates you can’t decide between, give them a homework assignment related to the job. This will help you better evaluate their skills, as well as other important areas, like whether they can meet deadlines and follow directions.

Consider References

When a candidate seems like a great fit, don’t skip this critical last step. Make sure you’re running a social check online and also verifying their references. This will help you uncover any issues or discrepancies, so you can make a final hiring decision with confidence. We are confident these Five Best Ways To Ensure You Hire A Best Fit are going to help you in a great manner.

Do You Need Help Hiring for Your Team?

At Bridgecor LLC , we can help you find and hire candidates who are a great and solid fit. As one of the best recruitment firms, we know where to source candidates, how to screen them thoroughly, and ways to check and verify their backgrounds. This all translates into an excellent match for you. We are serving for last 25 years.

Income and Gender Inequality in Engineering

Written by Steven Thompson on June 3, 2021. Posted in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Income and Gender Inequality in Engineering is a serious issue that affects both the global and local economy on every level. The gender pay gap in the United States is to be around 20-30%. In other words, women get about 80% of what men get for doing similar work. The wage discrepancy exists across many industries, but it’s particularly for female engineers who make less than their male counterparts even when they have more experience and education.

Contributing Causes

Why do we see Income and Gender Inequality in Engineering? The answer to this question is multifaceted. It includes both systemic and individual factors that each play a role in perpetuating gender inequality but at different levels of society. One reason for the difference in wages between men and women engineers is systematic discrimination that runs deep into our society. For example, many elementary schools have programs where girls learn to cook and sew instead of worth electrical diagrams – all things an engineer does daily.

The lack of encouragement women receives in science, technology, and other fields related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) can lead some talented female engineers away from the profession for good. Suppose they’re lucky enough to find their way back into engineering later in life. In that case, there may not be any jobs available due to the scarcity of opportunities specifically designed with them in mind. There are also individual factors that may be more difficult to overcome. A woman who has been working as an engineer for 20 years might still earn less than a man with five years’ experience because there’s not enough time for her performance and skill level to catch up to his yet.

Historical Background

Historically, female engineers have had significantly shorter work histories and lower wages than their male counterparts. Women are more likely to take maternity leave or parental leave at some point in their careers and take on a larger share of family responsibilities outside of work hours-such as taking care of children. At the same time, men are less likely to do so. Women are more likely than men to work part-time out of necessity which means lower earnings potential when compared with full-time workers who have been at it for decades longer.

Only a few centuries ago it was a common believe that educating the women in the sciences is resistive for their fertility and overall health. Tanja Tajmel, an Associate Professor with the Centre for Engineering in Society at Concordia University says that

Consequently, in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, science studies were associated only to male gender and it was a gender role. Now we are 2 r e centuries later, and we still feel this heritage

If we reconsider the things, we give boys Lego and Train sets, while we give Barbie and dolls to girls.

In addition to this Dr. Tajmel says that

This gender gap is very much an American or Western Problem

It’s More Than Just Numbers – Global Issue

In many other countries with emerging economies, girls embrace technology. A final year software engineering student at Concordia who was immigrant to Canada while in Grade 11, says that

Where I grew up, people are motivated to do sciences. As it leads to medicine and engineering, which are seen as superior fields

Statistics show that young women leave engineering schools at a higher rate than men. Dr. Cody says that

Men drop out into the other sciences, but women go into humanities. Guys often transfer to engineering related college programs

On the other hand, U.S statistics suggest that 40 percent of the women who graduate with engineering degrees either never enter the profession or eventually leave it. Dr. Jones says

Study after study shows that one of the key reasons women leave engineering is what they call a chilly workplace

Mostly, girls favour biology over chemistry and physics. Dean of the College of engineering and physical sciences at the University of Guelph, Mary Wells says that

Physics is the least popular science course for girls, and yet it is a required course to apply to engineering

Meanwhile, a male-dominant profession of engineering has made critical errors and from cars that are more safe for men than women to a dearth of women space suits. So, a diverse profession that will include the bright minds will perform better. We need think tank as we have big problems in this world.

Conclusion:

There are some concrete steps we can take to cater Income and Gender Inequality in Engineering. Both of them work at or want to work at startups and established technology companies alike—like hiring more diverse teams, encouraging mentorship programs between senior leaders and new hires, ensuring flexible working environments, so people with families don’t feel pressured into quitting because they’re worried about missing out on promotions or raises due to being away from their desk too much, etc.—but these changes won’t happen.

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