Are Women in Tech More Stressed Out?

By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

In a survey conducted at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) from 2008 to 2011 and funded through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) ADVANCE program, female faculty indicated more stress and less satisfaction with work-life balance than their male colleagues.

Women were more likely to forego personal activities for professional responsibilities (66 percent of women compared to 47 percent of men), but also felt more strongly that their career had been slowed by personal responsibilities (50 percent of women compared to 23 percent of men). With respect to their time distribution at work, 50 percent of women respondents were dissatisfied compared to 32 percent of men. What’s more, the data from the self-study revealed that women at RIT are less successful than men in obtaining more advantageous starting packages, assignments, compensation, and work plans.

The goal of ADVANCE is to change these disappointing statistics, in part by working toward developing and implementing strategies to promote gender equity in academic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) positions. Projects funded through ADVANCE promote systemic changes in academic settings to increase the representation of women in STEM and enhance career advancement. Since 2001, the NSF has invested over $130 million to support ADVANCE projects like the survey.

“The RIT study documents important elements of the STEM work environment,” says Beth Mitchneck, program director of ADVANCE at the National Science Foundation. “While some findings may be specific to academic settings, many stressors and areas of dissatisfaction transcend the work environment. Studies such as this provide at least a starting point for conversations about gender equity and work satisfaction throughout STEM and points of comparison for the STEM labor force in private industry and other settings.”

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Would More Women Make Business More Ethical?

Business Team Sitting at a TableBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

A new study calls into question the perception of careers in business, and suggests that one reason many companies have trouble attracting female talent is that many simply don’t envision themselves as ethically compatible with jobs in big business.

The research tested how college aged people viewed integrity trade-offs for things like money or social status, then, in a second test, linked those views to business careers. A third test showed that women were less likely to apply for jobs when it was made clear that they may have to make ethical concessions to help their companies.

The research, written by Jessica A. Kennedy and Laura J. Kray out of the University of California, Berkeley, was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science in March. It has implications for companies looking to hire more women at the entry level, as well as for leaders in companies themselves. How is their behavior representative of this perception? How will future leaders challenge the status quo?

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New Study Shows Women are Increasingly Seeking Global MBAs

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iStock_000007530963XSmallBy Natalie Soltys (Kansas City)

The world is becoming more connected, companies are becoming more global, and the workforce is more international. As a highly-motivated woman, you may have had the intuition that you need global experience and education to further advance your career. You see a need to manage culturally diverse teams and deliver growth in new markets. You’ve thought of going back to school either part- or full-time, but a business school in the United States just doesn’t seem quite enough.

The good news? You’re not alone in your thinking. Increasingly, women are recognizing and taking action on the desire to build an international network and enhance their business acumen and skills. You understand that we are all operating in a more global world.

“Business education is the single most effective investment you can make in one year to transform your career,” noted Wendy Alexander, associate dean, London Business School for Degree Programmes and Career Services. “But, if you want a global education, you need to come to a global school.”

Jointly, the London Business School and the Forté Foundation researched an emerging trend: North American women heading to Europe to study for and obtain their MBA degrees. These women, according to Alexander, have found “the X factor for the future: experience, expertise and cultural awareness.”

That is not to say those who chose this path did not already have successful careers. Most graduated from some of the best universities in the U.S. and embarked on finance or consulting careers. They, however, reached a point where they needed to take the next step to move forward.

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Is the Law Firm Leadership Track Fair?

Beauty and successBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

The National Association of Women Lawyers and the NAWL Foundation have released [PDF] their 7th annual report on women in top law firms, and the numbers are similar to what we have seen before. Too similar, in fact. The percentage of women equity partners is only barely 15 percent and the number of women non-equity partners is only 26 percent. Similarly, women only hold 20 percent of governance committee roles, and only four percent of firms have a female managing partner.

“We are disappointed that women lawyers are still not reaching the highest levels of big firm practice or leadership in significant numbers,” said NAWL President Beth Kaufman, Partner at Schoeman Updike & Kaufman LLP in New York.

The study polled AmLaw 200 firms to examine the differences in pay and promotion between men and women lawyers. And, in fact, women are earning less than men at every level, with the biggest gap at the equity partner level (89 percent). NAWL identified that one potential reason for the discrepancies between men and women concerning pay and promotion may be the pipeline and a rigid structure of advancement at many law firms.

In a profession where rapid advancement up a tightly-defined ladder is the standard path to prestige, women are often pushed out of leadership. “The Survey has repeatedly found that law firm structure has important effects on women’s career paths,” said Barbara Flom, author of the report and Secretary of The NAWL Foundation.

Flom believes that by changing the rules of the advancement system (or rather, creating more paths to success within the system), women would benefit significantly. And so would firms, which would reap the rewards of greater leadership diversity.

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Pursuing an MBA: When it’s Appropriate and When It’s a Pass

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HurryContributed by The Runaway MBA

I can’t really remember when I decided that I wanted a MBA. In college, I believed that it was the next step after my first five years of work. However, my career progressed because of what I achieved. My salary was quite high without the degree. I could not see how derailing up to two years of work experience plus the investment of a small house could lead to career advancement. When I heard the word “MBA,” I saw professionals that were overpriced, inexperienced, and ungrounded.

With the onset of the financial crisis, my career stalled at the Vice President level. Although times were difficult, there were meaningful roles to which I was being passed up for. I lost track of the number of times in which I was told “But you don’t have a MBA.”  I examined the biographies of over 500 CIO’s, and of all the leaders that I admired; all had earned an MBA or JD from a leading institution. “Could there be something to this?” I thought. I gave in, applied, and enrolled.

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Why Stereotype Threat Keeps Girls Out of Math and Science, and What to Do About It

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iStock_000015871985XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Girls are still lagging in the classroom when it comes to math – which has a big impact on tomorrow’s workforce, especially considering the important role the technology industry will play in the economy of the future. According to a recent study by the University of Washington, one potential culprit for girls’ underperformance is gender-stereotyping. Lead author Dario Cvencek explained, “Not only do girls identify the stereotype that math is for boys, but they apply that to themselves. That’s the concerning part. Girls are translating that to mean, ‘Math is not for me.'”

But why do girls believe that? It’s (hopefully) not as if their teacher is standing at the blackboard telling them that girls aren’t supposed to be good at math. Is it the media? Is it parents or peers? In fact, it’s likely a combination of these factors – and one more: themselves.

According to Joshua Aronson, NYU Associate Professor of Applied Psychology, stereotypes influence not only the expectations of the stereotype-holder, but they also impact individual performance as well. At the National Center for Women & Information Technology‘s 2011 Summit last week, he said, “intelligence is both fragile and malleable.” When it comes to performance and intelligence, context matters.

Arosnon explained that stereotype threat – merely the notion that one might “live up to” a negative stereotype – will undermine someone’s ability to perform at their highest capability. The fear of proving a negative stereotype true actually causes someone to underperform – and this can account for girls’ underperformance in math and science.

Fortunately, Aronson said, there is something we can do about it.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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iStock_000013858824XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

The Glass Hammer is taking a few days off to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US. We’d like to give thanks for all of the incredible women (and men) who are working hard to shatter the glass ceiling.

If you have some time off this week, why not catch up on a few of our recent most popular stories?

Additionally, The Glass Hammer is always looking for ways to showcase the women who inspire and empower us – if you’d like to nominate someone to be profiled on the site as Voice of Experience, Mover and Shaker, or Rising Star, please get in touch with me at melissa@theglasshammer.com. We’re also looking for more Intrepid Women, who are pushing their boundaries personally and professionally, as well as subject matter experts to contribute to our ask-the-expert column.

Finally, this is a busy time of year for just about everyone. In honor of Thanksgiving, consider taking few minutes to thank your mentor for their help and advice. A simple thank-you goes a long way, and will be much appreciated during the holiday rush.

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Are You a Role Model? Teach a Business Course

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Woman Smiling Behind PodiumBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

What’s one way to pull more women into the leadership pipeline? Be a role model.

On The Glass Hammer, we shine the spotlight on successful professional women in an effort to inspire other high-achieving professional women to break the glass ceiling, and to show that there are plenty high performing women out there – even if they aren’t always highly visible. We’re committed to providing role models and peer networking for our audience of successful women.

But the need for role models begins early. Currently, female MBA enrollment rates are hovering around 30%. The leadership gender imbalance is at play even before women actually make it into the workforce. Only a small percentage of MBA instructors are female – and the lack of successful female role models in business education is one thing keeping women out of the career pipeline.

Do you want to make an impact on the next generation of female business leaders? Be a role model at the MBA level. Teach a course, give a guest lecture, or speak at a networking event. Make yourself visible!

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Is Now the Right Time to Go Back to School?

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Adult Education SeriesBy Elizabeth Harrin (London)

Have you dreamed of going back to school? Hours in the library, long conversations with intelligent professors and nothing to worry about except the deadline for that next assignment. Studying as an adult isn’t much like that, unfortunately. However, if you are unemployed with time on your hands, or want some extra skills to boost your resume, this could be the ideal time to dust off your books and get back in the classroom.

What’s your existing skill set?

“Everyone who wants to excel in business needs to understand finance and accounting,” says Dr. Linda D. Henman, President of the Henman Performance Group. “If you’ve studied HR but don’t seem to be getting anywhere, now would be a good time to pick up those classes. If you’re a finance professional, advanced training and a masters can only help.”

There has never been a better time to study finance and economics, as Jennifer Small, a graduate of Stetson University in Central Florida, found out when she studied for her executive MBA. “The classroom curriculum was naturally adjusted to reflect the challenges of this period, in addressing the tactical, economic, and ethical aspects of the economic meltdown,” she says. “I feel these valuable discussions and explorations have given me the tools to anticipate future economic calamities. I feel I’ve been provided with the means of identifying challenges and problematic trends before they transpire through the thorough examination of examples of past mistakes that led up to this recession. I strongly believe this has made me more forward-thinking in comprehending the importance and relevance of developing contingency plans to survive the economy’s many ebbs and flows.”

Small feels that studying in the context of the recession has given her new skills and a broader focus. “One of my very first classes was Economics, where recent headlines were not only explained, but heavily delved into with the professor leading lengthy discussions carried out by classmates from all areas of U.S. industry. The concept of ‘too big to fail’ was examined and scrutinised, in regards to government bailouts of certain banks and institutions. These tough economic times have shown the spotlight on business areas such as executive compensation, financial risk factors, and conflicts of interest.”

Learning new skills also has the benefit of making you more valuable to employers. “As a professor of a number of MBA schools, further education makes many professionals more viable,” says Dr. Ted Sun, Professor of Organisational Leadership at SMC University, Switzerland. “When there’s a layoff, the least valued employees are let go. If you’re in school and bringing new knowledge and skills, you’re the last to get let go. Even in this recession, I’ve had students who get promotions based on what they’re capable of doing, well before the finished the degree. Especially for females, the glass ceiling is still present. Further education is a must to compete.”

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The White House Project’s Go Run New York Kicks Off Friday

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logoBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

The White House Project is still accepting applications for this weekend’s New York event. For more information contact Janeen Ettienne at jettienne@thewhitehouseproject.org.

“Women take charge to take care. Meaning, women usually embark on a campaign because of an issue that they have organized around either personally or in their communities,” said Marie Wilson, founder of the White House Project.

She continued, “And when elected, they are more likely to stay in close touch with their constituencies, because the majority of women office holders didn’t get there through high-powered lobbying firms and a blanket of press coverage. They got to their elected office through the grassroots networks.”

Once a year in several states, the White House Project hosts a weekend-long training retreat designed to equip women with the leadership skills they need to run for political office. Go Run provides training in communications, fundraising and campaigning, with a focus specifically on overcoming the unique challenges women have traditionally faced.

This Friday kicks off New York’s Go Run weekend training program. The weekend’s special guests include The Honorable Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, New York City Council Member, District 17; The Honorable Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Senator, District 35; The Honorable Gale A. Brewer, New York City Council Member, District 6; and Uma Sengupta, Democratic District Leader, District 25, Part B, as well as plenty of impactful instructors.

Kristina Goodman, Director of PR and Marketing explained, “Our goal is to equip, inform and inspire women to take their leadership to the next level, either as a community organizer, a candidate, or in their own lives.”

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