Women Empowering Women

The gap in the number of women in the STEM workforce is producing a necessity for other women in STEM to be advocates and mentors to other women following the same path. As women in this male-dominated field, we need to be looking out for each other and each other’s success, not making it more challenging by feeling like we are competing with our female counterparts.

The gender gap that exists in STEM careers is an ongoing challenge for women today. However, in my experience, I have had more women cause me challenges than men throughout my technology career.

The niche group of ladies who should be the most helpful mentors I could tap into were applying glass ceilings or trying to cut me out of projects entirely. I’ve even had a woman manager leave me out of team meetings/lunches while they’ve been in town on multiple occasions. Talk about a confidence hit. It seemed I had to work that much harder when working with women counterparts, or superiors, on most occasions and to this day I don’t have a solid answer on why that is.

I know numerous women who are amazing, and I have committed some to being part of my personal ‘Board of Advisors.’ I often contemplate though, what if all women in STEM felt a stronger obligation to the success of other STEM women?

What if all women in STEM felt a stronger obligation to the success of other STEM women?

Regardless of what stage you are in, what position you hold, or if you’re an at-home entrepreneur versus climbing the corporate ladder, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Network, network, network

I cannot convey in a few sentences how important it is to network for your career. In turn, I cannot convey how important it is to network and find those like-minded women who have a passion for the same field as you do.

Make it a point to introduce yourself to the women who sit in the same space at work or who you constantly run into on phone calls but never get the chance to really talk to.

Engage the room at organization-coffee talks and introduce yourself to female leadership in the organization. Reach out to other female entrepreneurs (i.e. via their blogs, business emails, etc.). Share what you do with your new contacts and learn about what they do and how that fits in with your role in the business or your entrepreneurship goals. You might learn something new and even change your path based on what you learn. Even better, you might inspire a change in someone else who finds what you’re doing exciting.

If engaging with women who are not in a STEM-career path, make sure to listen for indicators that they may be looking for a change or simply advocate that if they ever have questions about a STEM career to give you a call. While obviously not all women want a career in STEM, I’ve gained some great contacts through these discussions as they have friends/contacts looking to expand into STEM, or specifically my area.

Remember that all interactions can be used to expand your network so don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation and readily give out your business card or information.

2. Ask to be a mentee, or offer to be a mentor

While it is up to the mentee to seek mentorship opportunities, I think it’s equally important for women in management to offer these opportunities if they don’t currently have mentees. Perhaps a young woman in the early stages of her career really caught your attention on that last project, or you constantly hear “Jane” is just killing it. Take it upon yourself to seek out her manager and ask what they would think about you reaching out for a formal mentorship.

If you don’t really interact with many women in STEM currently, see if there are teams you know who have women employees or ask colleagues if there’s any women they would recommend you networking with. Reach out to managers you know, or who even work for you, and see if any could use a mentor or would welcome the opportunity to have a female mentor outside of their direct team. A lot of companies today even have communities centered around women making their success through STEM.

I have several professional mentors in my life, yet sadly only three are women (both started non-STEM and transitioned to the technology sector) with only one being a director. These three women being in my corner means a great deal to me on multiple levels. They all support and advocate for me which has led to numerous opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

3. Talk each other up more

I want to clarify that I’m not saying to only talk up women, or to give out kudos when they aren’t deserved, but women have been proven to understate their accomplishments while men are more forthcoming and have even been known to exaggerate. Talking women up to their managers and thanking them serves to ensure their manager knows what great work they’re doing and to reassure them of their success. Let’s acknowledge this trait and make it a more profound point to reassure our fellow women in STEM that they are awesome.

To further encourage and empower them, let’s make more of an effort to let them know they are recognized in general. “Jane” really took the initiative and killed it on a project or was able to remove a road block you’d been struggling with for a while. Write out a quick and simple email telling her how much you appreciate the work she did and copy her direct manager. Not only will that make them more inclined to work with you in the future, but you’ve also just talked her up to her boss, which anyone will appreciate. Furthermore, this could help in the future with a possible promotion or large-project assignment. Talk up a fellow female entrepreneurs’ company or blog, let them know that you appreciate their vision and what they’re putting out in the world, this is a potential avenue for a mentor/mentee relationship to develop as well.

4. Take all competitive feelings and shove them deep down

Relationships between women in STEM should not be competitive. There’s already enough competition in the workplace to get that next promotion or to lead the next big project, we don’t need it amplified between each other as the norm. Are there women right now you don’t like working with or talking to? Be honest with yourself. Is it because you might feel a little threatened to not be the only qualified female on your team? Or does she get all the projects/promotions you want? Would you feel that way if she were a he?

It seems silly, but these questions can help you really find a root cause for why you are feeling that competitive energy. Business is built on logic and results. We as women are biologically wired differently to have more emotions at stronger levels than men that we need to keep in mind especially when dealing with other women in the field.

The next time you’re feeling a bit put out by your women counterparts, try and find the root cause. If it’s emotional, work to change your thoughts and actions. If she does get all the projects you want, maybe better communication with your manager is needed on your goals or perhaps she has a skill, that if you learn, will get you those projects. Sometimes there are just going to be those people who you don’t work well with though. Recognize that and do your best to work with them and ask your manager for guidance.

5. Make time

As we progress in our careers, we quickly learn that there is never enough time in the day and there is a never ending ‘To Do’ list. I get it; I really do but making time to help even a couple of ladies with their STEM career could make a huge impact. If you have enough time, offer to be a mentor but even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can provide insight through a 30-minute call every other week or once a month. If time is not on your side, offer to answer questions she has through emails. Whatever form of communication happens, take the time to provide solid feedback and really listen and understand so you can invest your time into empowering your mentee.

“Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it.” – Jim Rohn

We need to find more ways to support these amazing women we work alongside, while advocating for ourselves too by making it a high priority and remembering “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” If this is a space you struggle in, there are tons of time management resources you can find online to see which style will work for your life. Find a mentor who excels at this space and ask for pointers. Invest your time to becoming stronger in time management and using your time wisely.