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Emma Jones recognised the lack of gender diversity in tech teams and realised the real challenge was in trying to change this. She found that the efforts from many companies were mostly "window dressing", and that the real issues were deeply systemic.
In a recent Project F survey of over 1300 women in tech, the key issues were found to be:
1. Pay Equity (the pay gap in tech is 7% higher than the national pay gap )
2. Women friendly workspaces are very important
3. Social Initiatives and teams can ostracise women, and prevent leadership opportunities
4. Unconscious Bias is real and at every levelProject F goes into a company gets deep under the hood of their programs, systems, policies and processes and then provides a clear roadmap on required change for them to achieve gender balance in their tech and leadership teams.
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To increase the gender balance in technology, Luther suggests:
- STEM Education programs aimed at keeping girls interested and engaged
- Greater visibility for role models and examples of diversity in STEM
- Education on STEM career pathways both traditional and emerging
- Ongoing unconscious bias training at all levels for leaders
- Adopting a 10 minute fix attitude (see book note below) to achieve ‘momentum’ wins
- Consistent and conscious efforts to empower and promote women
- Recognising that women may need more encouragement and support in our current work culture
- Adopting a servant leadership approach that puts team before self
- Make every decision via a diversity lens that can accelerate diversity-led performance gains
“We need to consciously recognise our subconscious bias to make sure that we are not working with one hand tied behind our back.”
“Every leader needs to re-educate themselves that diversity is not only the right thing to do, but also the best for long term business success.”
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Dr Sacha Stelzer-Braid is a viral researcher in respiratory illnesses such as Bird Flu, influenza and the common cold. She is the coordinator of a Student internship program at University of NSW and has recently become a media spokesperson for research on Covid19.
In this podcast episode we discuss the harsh realities of working part-time in Science and the lack of leadership prospects as a result.
We discuss how Imposter Syndrome may be holding many women back, and how mentoring and sponsoring women helps to propel them forward, supporting them past this.
Finally we tackle the importance of diversity and equal representation in media, academic and corporate boards, and making conscious decisions to ensure this happens.
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Attrition is costly; at up to 250% of the annual salary, it’s a significant impact to lose staff. In STEM industries where women are already in the minority, organisations really need to work out ways of retaining women and supporting both parents through life transitions. Rebecca discusses the ways that employers can support new parents to ensure women return after parental leave.
- Offer flexible working conditions – Covid has shown this can be the case.
- Offer a gender neutral parental leave policy - once we are there we can really start challenging the status quo.
- Normalising parental care in the workplace - so more men are openly able to take up the responsibility of caring without stigma.
- Offer both new parents support, communication, connection, and care.
- Support the integration back into work.
- Support the manager to support their employee better.
It is important to shift the balance so that men and women have more equitable roles. The benefits of creating a more equitable work environment are:
- Companies benefit by creating an inclusive, positive working environment thereby reducing the attrition rate, and allowing women to continue their career trajectories, thus creating more opportunities for equitable leadership teams.
- In the home environment, men taking on more of the childcare responsibilities, housework and mental load create great role models for their kids and this allows women to get back to work earlier. Families benefit by having engaged fathers.
- The community benefits as women typically spend more money in the community than men so if they are earning more they are spending more.
For more information on the Triiyo support platform please visit their website: https://www.triiyo.com/
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Professor David Tscharke is the Head of the Department Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Australian National University (ANU), studying the interactions between the immune system and viruses.
In this brave and honest podcast we discuss the systemic bias that exists in the current funding structure in Australia, perpetuating men in leadership roles. We tackle bullying tactics, humiliation and manipulation accepted as normal teaching practices, and handling inappropriate remarks at conferences. We speak of building confidence and resilience in order to handle the competitive nature of science in Australia. How both and woman need to push for independence, and during this time emerging leaders really can use a helping hand from external sponsors. We explore how men deal with impostor syndrome by just driving ahead, expecting to fail at any stage. We look at the serious lack of women in decision making or executive groups, and the lack of candidates in the pipeline. And finally we discuss the hyper-competitive nature of funding in Australia driving all decisions, and how it mainly benefits those currently in leadership – so why should they change it?
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Dr Anna Brooks is a research scientist and director of Auckland Cytometry at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. As a child Anna suffered from a rare anxiety condition called Selective Mutism where she was unable to speak to anyone outside her immediate family. As a result, the life of a scientist has not been easy as she has had to learn to overcome her anxiety to present her research.
In this week’s podcast we discuss how Anna worked through her fears and how this may have held her back from other opportunities. Many younger women suffer from a lack of confidence and anxiety and this can have longer term effects on their careers. As a mid-career scientist she is currently utilising the resilience she has used to conquer her anxiety, to push to the next stage in her career.
Anna encourages having a clear understanding of the direction you wish to go in, finding a mentor earlier in your career, and to tackle those internal demons head on to build confidence and find your voice.
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Emma is a motivated, dedicated and energetic leader with diverse experience across the Australian Financial Services sector in Banking and Technology, who is currently focusing on doing what she loves - coaching, people, leadership and her family
Her career as a technology leader and mentor has been supported by:
1. Great mentors – at each point in her career there was someone pulling her up or cheering her on. They created leadership opportunities and gave her confidence to become the person she was meant to be
2. Having a great employer who offers supportive and flexible options to help parents re-entering the workforce is invaluable to so that they continue their trajectory and eventually reach executive positions
3. Having a good work/life balance is really important
4. Being aware of bad leaders who can stifle confidence and careers
5. Deciding to be an authentic, transparent leader, with open communication
6. Understanding that she could do it and surrounding herself with great people to support her getting there
7. Being aware of perception and bias and constantly challenging these
The combined support of mentoring and building confidence in younger women, and offering flexible working options as they re-enter the workforce after having children will allow them to grow into the leaders they should become.
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Head of the Applied Medical Science Discipline and President of the Molecular and Experimental Pathology Society of Australasia, Scott Byrne discusses the funding issues endemic in academic research and the ways to navigate these by diversifying funding streams. We tackle the sticky topic of workplace bullying by senior females and how flexibility in the workplace needs to go both ways to support fathers. Scott details how he actively supports mid-career female researchers in his discipline via a mix of mentorship, sponsorship and encouragement. However to ensure we don’t lose mid-career females in STEM, Scott ends with some practical funding ideas to support researchers coming back after a career break.
"We need to make conscious efforts to change the way we have done things in the past. If we are serious about ensuring we don’t lose mid-career females in STEM we need to address the funding issue."
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Pegah is a Mechanical Engineer with over 20 years' experience in the oil, gas and resources industries. She has performed both technical roles and project management for a variety of projects. Pegah is an industry leader, and influencer who is always eager to learn, explore and inspire the people around her.
In this episode we explore Pegah's Mechanical Engineering career both in Iran and Australia. Heavily influenced and supported by her father Pegah studied engineering in Iran as one of only 2 females in a class of over 50 students. We discuss her experience at uni and as a young engineer in Iran, as well as the decision to move her family to Australia looking for a more equitable working environment.
Mentorship, having a family and life events such as her mother's passing have shaped the direction of Pegah's career. As a leader Pegah has learned the importance of being patient, listening to people and how to engage with different personalities. She acknowledges that the sexism has improved dramatically in engineering over the past 3-5 years but there is still more that we can do.- Women need a voice and to be heard.
- As a female we need understanding and empathy and flexibility
- We need trust for flexibile working - Covid19 has helped us to understand better how to do this.
- Opportunity to do training (formal training and mentoring)
Female engineers change the dynamics of the leadership teams, and equality should be encouraged as much as possible. -
Nichol Stark is a technology leader, and a business and careers coach. After 23 years in IT, Nichol is leading the FemTech revolution as a proud advocate for inclusive workplaces, supporting innovation, individuality and diversity!
In the first podcast of our series Nichol delves into some of the sticky issues facing women in technology.
· The abuse of power by other women, and the need for good female role models.
· Balancing children and a career
· Women earning more than their partners, and role reversals – the female guilt and male emasculation
· Being vulnerable and transparent and the positive effect a good leader can have if they support women through these stages.
· The positive effects of men and women working together playing to their strengths
· Mentorship, sponsorship and a tribe of trusted advisors
· Finding the balance in your life
· Knowing your own value
