Looking through the Glass Ceiling: A Qualitative Study of STEM Women’s Career Narratives

Abstract

Although efforts have been directed toward the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) positions, little research has directly examined women's perspectives and bottom-up strategies for advancing in malestereotyped disciplines. The present study utilized Photovoice, a Participatory Action Research method, to identify themes that underlie women's experiences in traditionally male-dominated fields. Photovoice enables participants to convey unique aspects of their experiences via photographs and their in-depth knowledge of a community through personal narrative. Forty-six STEM women graduate students and postdoctoral fellows completed a Photovoice activity in small groups. They presented photographs that described their experiences pursuing leadership positions in STEM fields. Three types of narratives were discovered and classified: career strategies, barriers to achievement, and buffering strategies or methods for managing barriers. Participants described three common types of career strategies and motivational factors, including professional development, collaboration, and social impact. Moreover, the lack of rewards for these workplace activities was seen as limiting professional effectiveness. In terms of barriers to achievement, women indicated they were not recognized as authority figures and often worked to build legitimacy by fostering positive relationships. Women were vigilant to other people's perspectives, which was costly in terms of time and energy. To manage role expectations, including those related to gender, participants engaged in numerous role transitions throughout their day to accommodate workplace demands. To buffer barriers to achievement, participants found resiliency in feelings of accomplishment and recognition. Social support, particularly from mentors, helped participants cope with negative experiences and to envision their future within the field. Work-life balance also helped participants find meaning in their work and have a sense of control over their lives. Overall, common workplace challenges included a lack of social capital and limited degrees of freedom. Implications for organizational policy and future research are discussed.

“Girl Power”: Gendered Academic and Workplace Experiences of College Women in Engineering

“…Despite reporting specific examples and regular occurrences of sexism and implicit bias in class settings and group interactions, some participants still perceived their academic experiences to be equal to those of male peers. This finding is consistent with research that suggests that such differentiation is perceived by women in male-dominated environments as natural or expected, particularly as some women adapt to manage stereotypes and to better fit in in an attempt to persist (Amon 2017;Buse et al 2013;Fouad et al 2016;Hewlett et al 2008;McPherson 2017;Neumann et al 2016;Powell and Sang 2015). Alisa and Faith both described these adapting behaviors in their examples of female engineering students distancing themselves from other women and feminine stereotypes in order to gain acceptance.…”

“…Among participants, perceptions and expectations related to dress and appearance, especially as described by Alisa and Kayla, were an apparent manifestation of this dynamic. The implicit and explicit expectations of women to avoid appearing feminine and to monitor not only the content of their interactions, but also who they engaged with at all, demonstrates additional further biased cultural barriers (Amon 2017;Rhoton 2011). Instead of workplace environments adjusting their cultures to welcome and support the growing diversity of their employees, women were expected to adjust their own behaviors to fit sexist cultural norms.…”

“…Unfortunately, there is a long history of discrimination of women and minorities within high-paying professions, including engineering, which are most often dominated by men (Blair-Loy 2013). Further, evidence supports that women who work in male-dominated fields experience gendered barriers that not only impede their success, but also make it difficult to combat inequality within the workplace (Amon 2017;Powell et al 2009;Rhoton 2011).…”

“…Research shows that women in engineering commonly experience differential treatment and marginalization, including sexist behaviors from male colleagues and supervisors, as well as social disconnection such as exclusion from networking opportunities (Amon 2017;Powell and Sang 2015;Rhoton 2011;Wynn and Correll 2017). In a study of STEM interns, women were seen as less competent, with any challenges that they encountered viewed as a confirmation of stereotypes about their ill-suitedness for STEM fields (Reilly et al 2016).…”

Gender balance in time-keeping at life science conferences

“…The last few years have seen an increased attention to the lack of women representation in faculty positions in the natural science departments of universities and institutes around the world (1)(2)(3). What makes this issue even more surprising is that a majority of students graduating with bachelors or masters in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are women (4).…”