Women In STEM: Successful Pros Discuss Gender Barriers At Work And How To Eliminate Them

Women in STEM or science, technology, engineering and math discussed the ongoing gender barriers at work in an education forecast breakfast sponsored by the Manheim Township Educational Foundation on April 6. The successful pros also laid out ways how to eliminate sexism in the workplace.

According to Lancaster Online, Beth Valentin, one of the five successful pros who spoke at the event dedicated to women in STEM, said that earning respect from male co-workers is one of the biggest obstacles she had to overcome in her career field. She, however, added that the gender barriers at work she initially encountered did not last long.

Valentin, who is currently a quality control supervisor at StarDental in East Lampeter Township, explained that women in STEM could get rid of mean comments and jokes at workplaces by nipping it in the bud. "Once they realized that it wasn't cool, it stopped," she shared.

NASA deputy program manager Cathy Barclay echoed Valentin's advice, saying women in STEM could eliminate gender barriers at work by speaking up as early as possible.  She added that based on her experience, a person will usually apologize once he will be informed that you felt uncomfortable with his joke or comment.

Moreover, Valentin and Barclay both agreed that early education could help women in STEM to deal gender barriers at work. Valentin pointed out that those who wanted STEM careers should be educated on what to expect in the male-dominated industry and on how to respond sexism issues.

At present, according to Barclay, there is no education in college or high school that prepares students in facing possible gender barriers at work. "It wouldn't hurt to have more discussions (about) what's acceptable in a professional setting and what's not," she stated.

Joan Williams, a professor of law at the University of California, wrote on Harvard Business Review last year that gender biases have been pushing women out of STEM careers. She and her team conducted a research and found that the number of women in STEM is decreasing because they feel isolated, their expertise and competence are questioned, and their successes are discounted.