If you Google "why women choose engineering", you get tons of articles why women don't. There is a lot of focus on what is wrong with how companies aren't recruiting and retaining the golden talent of women engineers.
I believe we should turn the tables and use our best efforts to determine why women choose engineering and stick with it.
Women choose engineering for a variety of reasons, but in the end, it all comes down to passion and innovation. Women want to use innovation to impact our world in a positive way. We want to believe in and be passionate about the product or service we are working with. This is truly at the core of what engineering is about.
"Engineers were meant to improve the world with the creative power of their minds."
Once women seek engineering to fulfill their drive for passion and innovation, they tend to stick with it if their work environment has the following attributes:- They are valued in the workplace. Women want to feel that their unique talents are recognized and their perspectives are appreciated. Women have a voice and want to feel heard and respected.
- There is an emphasis on work-life-balance.Women engineers work hard and are willing to put in the hours necessary to achieve the company goals. However, they aren't willing to be driven into the ground by unrealistic work hours.
- Opportunities for advancement. Most women engineers are achievers. They wouldn't have made it through engineering school if they weren't! As an achiever, women engineers want the opportunity to be rewarded for their contributions by opportunities to advance in their careers.
- They are treated as equals to their male peers. Women engineers want to work in an environment of equality. They want the same opportunities in corporate advancement, job position, and pay as their male counterparts.
Expecting a woman (or a man for that matter), especially if they have a family, to work an 60-80 hour work week doesn't lend itself to a sustainable and happy life. We've all read countless articles about work-life-balance. The reality is women are happier in a work environment where they can work hard, be rewarded for hard work, and also have the flexibility they need to have a life outside of the office.
Good companies know that adding an aspect of diversity to their team, including women, is critical to developing a competitive advantage. When women work in an environment that allows them to feel valued, work hard yet have balance, and offers opportunities to advance, they can represent a significant competitive advantage.
3M, one of the world's most admired companies (Fortune), is a great example of a company that gets it. Not only are they on the forefront of innovation with their products, they are also innovative in providing a work environment where women engineers can thrive. The primary motivation among women I've spoken with to enter engineering is so that they can change the world through innovation. 3M's culture of innovation where, "employees are encouraged to spend 15% of their time on new ideas they're passionate about" ties into the core of a woman engineer.
Here is how 3M hits the mark for providing additional reasons for women to stick with engineering.
- Valuing women in the workplace. Women engineers at the company and cite strong opportunities for personal and professional growth. Corri Schmidt, Plant Manager says,
"3M lets me contribute to a great team, shares my core values, offers a huge variety of career paths, and supports my growth as an engineer."
- Work-life-balance. 3M provides Flexible Work Arrangements to help women engineers balance their work and personal life, such as part-time or alternative work schedules. They also offer parenting resources, scholarship programs, personal growth resources, and health and fitness resources as a way to promote work-life-balance as a part of their company culture.
- Opportunity for advancement. 3M offers leadership development programs, knowledge-sharing forums and communities and development planning tools for their staff. Tamera Fenske, Plant Manager states,
"If you take advantage of the opportunities to grow and learn, the career path can be astounding."
- Women as equals. 3M provides a Women's Leadership Forum and many other Employee Resource Networks for professional development to ensure that women have the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
3M is one of many innovation companies that realizes that women engineers are one of their greatest assets.
Once women choose engineering as a career path, a great company can foster their success through valuing them, allowing for work-life-balance, and providing opportunity and equality. It's a win-win situation.
Success Factors has paid a fee to ENGINEERING.com for the promotion of their career services. They have had no editorial input to this post. All opinions are mine - Sandra Abdalian.