Abstract of "Chapter 9-Summary: Cross Cutting Issues"
Author(s):
Mildred S. Dresselhaus
The conference on Science and Engineering (S&E) programs began with Alan Fletcher, executive director of OSEP, and Linda S Wilson, chair of OSEP, discussing the need to recruit more women and underrepresented minorities into S&E. They both support shifting the focus from organizational change, to systemic change.
The Interventions Process -- Planning an Intervention
Progressive actions for implementing interventions were defined. The following steps were outlined to overcome the "glass ceiling" problem:
- Identify the problem, gather evidence, and identify the audience who will receive and respond to such information.
- Identify those who will benefit from changes in policies or programs, and involve them in the intervention designing process.
- Present the problem to management along with potential solutions, outline goals, create a timeline for achieving them, and plan for evaluating the effectiveness of potential solutions.
Conference participants found that the best way to devise potential solutions was not to operate in a vacuum, but to institutionalize programs. Participants also thought that it was very necessary to have a built-in system to evaluate the given program's effectiveness.
Funding an Intervention
Funding can be obtained from a single institution or a consortium of organizations. The following were suggestions on how to locate funding for particular programs:
- Use references such as The Foundation Directory to locate private funding sources.
- Do not limit communication to a formal proposal requesting funding. Harry Weiner, program officer at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation said that follow up informal communication is desirable. He also discussed the importance of the timing of proposal submittal.
- Ensure that a sense of commitment exists through personal involvement of corporate and foundation members employees in program activities.
- Recognize that resources are limited and use the available resources wisely.
Elements of Effective Intervention
Regardless of the education/employment stage at which interventions were implemented, conference participants concurred that they all shared the following characteristics:
- An environment in which equal opportunity is provided for the study or practice of science and engineering. In this context, an equal opportunity environment includes job options such as flex-time, part-time employment, job sharing, and working at home.
- Interventions which have the support of top management. Interventions cannot have long term success without the support of top management. Programs that have the support of top leadership also tend to be more comprehensive in their outreach and effectiveness.
- Opportunities for program participants to ask questions.
- Peer groups and networking.
- Role models and mentoring.
Precautions
The following precautions were outlined by participants experienced in the design and administration of S&E interventions:
- Seek small grants in preference to one large grant to fund a project. This helps ensure the life of the project if one funding source is lost.
- Investigate whether foundations support long standing programs that have been effective or give preference to new programs.
- Prepare for negative responses to the program.
- Recognize deep seated cultural biases as the root of some negative responses.
- Ensure that programs are positively structured and executed, so that they encourage recruitment and retention of women and not the opposite.
On Target for Women
The authors of this chapter summarize by stating that there are a variety of interventions for recruiting and retaining women scientists and engineers:
- Gender sensitivity initiatives.
- Networks for women scientists and engineers.
- Career counseling and career development programs.
- Flexible scheduling of classes for students and work hours for employees.
- Creation of child care resources.
- Financial resources for educational purposes.
Importance of Interventions for Retentions and Recruitment of Women
Interventions are important because they:
- provide proof that women scientists and engineers do exist.
- serve networking purposes.
- offer opportunities for career advancement.
- allow the development of managerial skills.
- recognize outstanding performances by women.
Topics Warranting Further Study
- Programs to address retention problems at each level -- undergraduate, M.S., and PhD.
- What must be done to overcome the bias that steers females away from careers in science and engineering.
- What can change the negative perceptions by the public of scientists and engineers.
- What are the impacts of student-based systems of learning on the pursuit of S&E degrees as compared to the influences of teacher-based systems of learning.
- What problems faced by minorities are the same as those faced by women.
- What level of participation by women, both as students and as faculty, is necessary to ensure an environment conducive to the recruitment and retention of other women in that discipline.
Mildred S. Dresselhaus, chair of the National Research Council's Committee on Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE),
Professor of electrical engineering and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Linda Skidmore Dix, study director of CWSE