22 June 2015
In this opinion piece, written for NetworkingPlus.co.uk, Geraldine Osman, VP international marketing at Connected Data, gives her views on a topical subject which made the news recently.
Sir Tim Hunt, a Nobel laureate, has recently resigned from his position as an honorary professor at a leading university, after making comments about girls in science. This incident has brought to the fore the continuing problem of sexism in science and technology. On the plus side, Hunt's comments have now made front page news and put the issue of sexism back on the agenda.
I think the attitude (apparently held by Sir Tim Hunt) persists because it is not being addressed well enough at the grass roots level. Although statistically girls are good at maths and science, the drop-out rate from school to degree level is high. So, we need to address that in education to get more girls inspired about career opportunities in the industry. This in turn will increase the numbers, lead to a more proportionate workforce and start to eradicate these attitudes.
We need female technology role models coming into schools to talk about the myriad opportunities that exist in the science and technology industry. It’s also down to women in the industry to push back when they experience something like this. For every case that gets into the public eye, there is probably another 10 where the woman just accepts what’s going on, or just ends up looking for a more modern culture to work in.
Tech and science industries are more male-dominated, but it’s important not to let the attitudes of the few deter young females from pursuing careers in these fields. There will always be “banter” and there will always be boundaries. Most professional, intelligent and educated people in the modern workplace understand this and manage to create a respectful, collaborative and productive working environment.
I am really lucky and where I work, we have an unusually high number of women employed here. Just under half of our total employees are female, and almost one third of our technical resources are female: engineering, support, product management.
Most technology organisations that I have worked with and within have had great leadership and a healthy culture where issues of sexism do not exist. Although there has been the odd exception, overall my experience of the industry is positive.
Most professional women that I know do not expect to be treated differently or have exceptions made. Men and women should be respected in the workplace and rewarded on merit, and the organisations that do that without conscious decision or policy are the best places to work, in my experience.
Women and men might think differently, but it is diversity that has been proven to lead to the best work and results. It’s your background, your education, and your ability to understand the industry you want to pursue, that determines how well-suited you are for a job.
And while Hunt never said women should not be allowed to work in science, it is comments like these that undermine women’s contribution and deter them from entering careers in science and technology.