The Fight or Flight Moment: Understanding Why We Leave or Stay in Industry

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Presenter: Sue Dorward (Sudo Coaching LLC)

Technology companies anticipate significant long-term, global growth and a shortage of skilled employees, exacerbated by the staggering 52% attrition rate among SET women. In 2008, IBM, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and others sponsored studies to better understand how to retain women technologists. I will summarize, compare, and interpret the results of Harvard's "Athena Factor," Catalyst's "Women in Technology," and ABI/Stanford's "Climbing the Technical Ladder" studies.

Barbora Dej, GHC 2009 Live Notetaker. I also blog on the official Grace Hopper blog at http://ghcbloggers.blogspot.com

My blog post on this session can be found on the GHC blog [1].

Slides: Image:Sudocoaching ghc09.pdf

Studies

  • percentage of women in technical fields is decreasing (30% in 2000 to 27% in 2006, BS CS degrees now at 18%)
  • 3 studies done in 2008 (available free online except for the Harvard study):
  1. The Athena Factor (Harvard study)
  2. Catalyst
  3. Climbing the technical ladder: ABI/Stanford [2]

Companies care about retention because

  • demand outstripping supply
  • few visas since 2001
  • emerging economies
  • expensive to replace us
  • baby boomer retirements

The Athena Factor

  • over time, 52% of women leave industry SET jobs (in high tech it's 41% of women versus 17% of men)
  • why do they leave?
  1. extreme job pressure (39% of women) - hours, stress, health
  2. culture not women-friendly (38%)
  3. compensation (27%)
  • how is their career going?
  1. feel their career is stalled by mid-career (46%)
  2. lack of career paths (47%), sponsors (84%), mentors (47%), role models in tech (40%)
  3. feel isolated (38%) (main issue involving mentors, etc.)
  • women shy away from risk, leading to fewer high-profile successes (especially if we failed before)
  • less credit even if you take a risk (no second chances, no sponsor)
  • sidetracked into helper roles
  • macho culture (discrimination):
  1. 66% mid career women and 64% tech women experienced sexual harassment (55% of young women)
  2. 44% mid/46% tech perceive bias in performance evaluation
  3. 23% mid /27% tech believe women are seen as intrinsically less capable
  • what helps?
  1. if >=10% of management is women then helps change culture of company
  2. flexible workday and career track timing
  3. career paths, mentors, and sponsors
  4. opportunities for altruism (Athena factor)
  5. on-ramps (64% are interested) - means come back to work after leaving for a while for whatever reason

The Catalyst Study

  • 3rd study in a series (2003, 2005)
  • 23 tech organizations interviewed, non-tech companies also interviewed
  • top individual barriers were:
  1. senior women noticed lack of mentors, not so much the younger women (perhaps haven't seen negative effects yet, reluctant to believe it's difficult to be a woman)
  2. lack of sponsors and champions to make their accomplishments known to important people
  3. gender issue not tech issue since numbers same for tech/non-tech
  • gaps when perception of fairness and voice men vs. women
  • gaps in job performance evaluated fairly for women in tech vs. women in non-tech

The ABI/Stanford Study

  • major finding: percentage of women get into high level jobs from mid-career is 10.9% and for men is 24.6% (so about 2.7 times less)

What's going on?

  • mid-level women vs. mid-level men:
  1. women more likely to be Asian, experience a competitive work environment, more likely to have a partner working full time let alone a technical partner, feel long hours needed to succeed
  2. women are less likely to have a partner primarily responsible for kids/home, have a CS/eng degree (brings closer to glass ceiling), have time to learn tech skills
  • mid-level women vs. high-level women:
  1. high-level women more likely to have a CS degree, have a techie partner, have a partner responsible for home stuff (24% vs. 13%)
  • mid-level workers perceive that their male supervisors are more technical than women supervisors (maybe we need to make sure that everyone knows the women are very technical too, maybe don't show it as much). Female supervisors seen as better at communicating, women don't feel they receive enough recognition from female supervisors (something to think about!)
  • rewarded behaviors (mid-level): speaking up is rewarded, mentoring not so much (should change that!)

What can women do?

  • combat isolation (mentor, sponsor, coach, role models)
  • seek a company with >10% female for a women friendly atmosphere
  • have a career goal and let people know
  • build and demonstrate tech skills
  • ask for high-profile and riskier assignments (read book called "women don't ask")

What can companies do?

  • be flexible (daily schedule, promotions, on/off ramp)
  • train supervisors (communications skills, provide fairness)
  • re-evaluate tech/risk criteria for promotions, provide support
  • align reward systems (mentoring, career development)
  • altruistic opportunities

More info at http://www.sudocoaching.com


Links

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