In Episode 68 of Razorleaf’s Stay Sharp podcast, Women in STEM, Jonathan Scott hosts a roundtable conversation about the realities of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The reason for the discussion is rooted in data published by the US Department of Labor, which showed that as of 2022, women accounted for about 25% of STEM workers and only 15% of engineering workers. In addition, the number of women in computer occupations has been dropping over the last 30 years, going from 34% in 1990 to 24% in 2022. What’s missing, Jonathan suggests, is “an important perspective in the science and technology workplace.”
Jonathan is joined by three guests whose participation in STEM was shaped by their love of a challenge: Jen Ferello, podcast co-host and Senior Partner Development Executive at Razorleaf; Helena Gutierrez, CEO of Share Enterprises and co-founder of Share PLM; and Jennifer Herron, author and CEO of Action Engineering.
The Importance of Women in STEM
Jen begins the discussion by pointing out, “In a work environment without diversification, there’s a very real possibility of groupthink or simply rubber-stamping ideas. If you’ve reduced the people at the table to a common background, then you’re reducing the number of options, opinions, and creative thinking at the table.” Helena agrees, noting that women bring what she refers to as “feminine energy” to teams, which are attributes more commonly ascribed to women, “Things like empathy, care, focus on collaboration—which make teams work better together.” Jonathan zeroes in on the idea of empathy, saying it’s not a concept usually thought of in STEM fields, which “doesn’t change the fact that people working in STEM are still people working, and so empathy is important.”
While the idea of multitasking is questioned by science, Jennifer notes that whether it’s innate ability, hardwiring, or cultural programming, “Women have a better capacity to look at the bigger picture and then keep a lot of parallel threads happening at one time. And for my business, that’s crucial.” The three women also agree that though women in STEM have traditionally been told to be more like men, that isn’t the answer. Jen says, “You don’t want women to be more like men. You don’t want men to be more like women, but you want everybody to feel included.” Jennifer expands on that idea, saying that we’ve tended to eliminate feelings and emotion from the business world. “From my perspective, where I’m often the only woman in the room,” she adds, “when you eliminate that, you’re eliminating a key factor of humanity. And I know we’re doing technology, but we’re doing technology for people.”
Being a Woman in STEM
When Jonathan asks the trio what challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve overcome them, the women all tell stories from every stage of their careers of being asked on dates by much older co-workers, of being assumed to be innately better at traditional female roles (e.g., cooking or providing food), or of being told to be more masculine. They all also report situations where, as Jen puts it, “The assumption is because I am a woman, I am not technical, I can’t answer the hard questions, I’m less capable.” They all agree that the best strategy to overcome any challenge to their role or capabilities is, Jen adds, “As much as possible, ignore it and keep being you. Keep proving the point that you are the right person to be talking to. Eventually, most of them learn.”
The three women also discuss the value of having the right people—and some of the wrong ones—shape your experience in the field. Role models—though they have been few and far between for many women—are a big help in establishing your own confidence in your place in STEM. Jen gives Jennifer and Helena both kudos for creating businesses—which consist of 70% and 80% women, respectively—that allow both genders to see women CEOs being successful. The panelists all take a more modern approach to the idea of role models and mentoring, agreeing that they learn from and collaborate with women who are both older and younger. “I learn a lot daily from my coworkers,” Helena says, “Young women, very hungry, very energetic. I also consider them my mentors in a sense.”
Learn More About Women in STEM Fields
The full podcast contains more discussion and details on a variety of topics, including why it’s so important that women bring grit to STEM occupations, what actions each of the guests—and any woman out there—can take to increase the number of women in STEM, how “empathetic accountability” might be the secret to combining the masculine and feminine approaches to the workplace, and more.
Check out the full conversation in Stay Sharp Episode 68: Women in STEM, and join us each week for a new podcast.
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