Chapter 28
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Lessons Learned Arlene A. Garrison Office of Research, University of Tennessee, 409 Andy Holt Tower, Knoxville, TN 37996
Common threads were identified in many of the interviews for this book. Some were validated by larger studies. This chapter addresses some of the tools for success identified by a number of women.
Family support and mentors were the most often recognized tools for success in the interviews for this book. The women advanced in their careers during an important period of history where workplace diversity was strongly emphasized. Traditionally underrepresented groups, including women and ethic minorities, were receiving degrees in significant numbers and the pipeline problems of previous generations were disappearing. The successful women interviewed for this book often mentioned the importance of participation in professional associations.
Mentoring Role models and mentors have long been recognized as important tools for career advancement . Mentors normally hold higher-level positions and provide suggestions and advice to women seeking a successful career. Many of the women interviewed for this book attribute their success to a relationship that provided support and information about unwritten rules and processes. Due to the demographics during their careers, many of the women in this book 1
© 2005 American Chemical Society
Hinkle and Kocsis; Successful Women in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.
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acknowledge that their primary mentors have been men. Such male mentors can serve as role models for a technical discipline. The women also acknowledge other role models and support networks to sustain the need for confidants and suggestions about family issues. Many of the women in this book serve as role models and mentors to a number of younger women at the early stages of their careers. In many situations, this early support has been found to be critical to the retention of talented young women in science careers.
Workforce Diversity Many organizations and researchers have discussed the importance of greater involvement of traditionally under-represented groups in science and engineering careers in the United States today. Largely due to population shifts, an increase in the diversity of the workforce is happening in all fields. A recent report by the National Science Board, "The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing America's Potential" , provides data supporting the need for a greater supply of domestic graduates in science and engineering. A variety of viewpoints is critical to the success of multidisciplinary team projects. Such projects are very common in industry today. Some specific technology careers have achieved success in increasing participation by groups such as women and racial and ethnic minorities. The lack of diversity must be addressed in order to maintain viability of industries in the United States that depend upon scientific and engineering expertise, particularly as the current workforce ages. The advancement of women in science and engineering has been studied extensively by a number of researchers. Numerous publications address the challenges for women who aspire to manage in a technology field. In "Athena Unbound" , Henry Etzkowitz discusses the myth of the pipeline. The percentage of Ph.D.'s awarded to women has risen dramatically over the past few decades, from less than 1% of the engineering doctorates in the 1960s to 11% in the 1990s. The percentage of chemistry female Ph.D.'s has increased from 7 to 27% in the same time period. Despite the increase in participation and graduation, women continue to be under-represented in leadership positions. Etzkowitz discusses the many challenges to women who wish to advance in these fields with particular emphasis on the system of "social capital", the relationships and networks critical to success in highly interactive technical fields. Women are often excluded from critical interactions and social networks that are key to advancement in technology disciplines. This may be true, but buy-in from 2
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Hinkle and Kocsis; Successful Women in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.
175 management is also necessary from the top down, as cited in this book by several interviewees. Etzkowitz also discusses the importance of having a critical mass of women in an organization to implement sustainable change. His study is particularly interesting as it analyzes the issue on an international basis.
Table 1. Percentage of women in science and engineering fields (after Etzkovitz ). Downloaded by NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV on December 31, 2017 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 28, 2005 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2005-0907.ch028
3
Increased Science and Engineering Ph.D.'s, percent female, 1966-1997 1960s 7
1970s 10
1980s
1990s
19
Mathematics
5
10
15
27 19
Physics
2
4
8
12
