Today, I had dinner with a great friend, who relocated to the greater Chicagoland area a few years ago. At 10 years my senior, she has provided great insight into corporate America and proved a good mentor, helping me navigate the many idiosyncrasies of a large, publicly traded company. She, often, re-iterates the struggles, she continues to face, as an intelligent, out-spoken female in the workforce. Ironically, at the start of my career, I thought that I was immune to any bias, believing my technical acumen would speak for itself and demonstrate my worth, as a key contributor to the organization. Our periodic pep talks re-energize me, validating and supporting my own opinions on women in business.
“The presence of women in the fields of science, technology and innovation remains significantly lower than for men, even in some of the world’s wealthiest regions…” (Elan, 2010). What is it that either drives women from or prevents them from ascending to positions of authority and consequence, even in the developed, seemingly, equality based countries of the world? My own experience tells me, it is not a lack of desire or experience; rather, it is a less than hospitable atmosphere. Our challenge, as emerging leaders, is to identify ways to leverage technology to shift the paradigm, not just embracing women, but cherishing, praising and capitalizing on their unique perspective and ideologies.
Christine
http://www.elsevier.com/connect/study-women-encounter-inequality-in-science-and-technology-fields
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