INNOVATION September-October 2014

fea t ure s

ATTRACTING, ENGAGING AND RETAINING WOMEN WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Rachel O’Connor Steve Frith

Is your project prepared for avalanche season?

D o you know that when members of symphony orchestras are being selected, women auditioning hidden behind a curtain are more likely to be chosen than if they are seen? Or would you believe that in a content analysis of reference letters for medical faculty applicants, female reference letters are shorter, vaguer and place less emphasis on research than reference letters for male applicants? These are two among many persistent examples of dis- crimination in the workplace that continues this century, even among the most highly educated and skilled profes- sions. Much of this is unintentional or subconscious. In today’s day and age, people almost never seek objectively to discriminate on the basis of gender. Instead, they may be conditioned by environmental factors and biases that are unconscious and unrecognized. How does engineering and geoscience fair? Not very well, unfortunately. The research tells us that these professions attract substantially fewer women than other professions, retain fewer women after they enter the profession, and inadequately empower women to meet their full potential. This isn’t just academic; many of us can verify this research anecdotally through our own experiences.

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