An article on Huffington Post, written by Jenny Dearborn, Chief Learning Officer at SAP, reveals that “U.S. women working in science, engineering and technology fields are 45% more likely than their male peers to leave the industry within a year.” (This statistic comes from an article in Harvard Business Review titled, “What’s Holding Women Back in Science and Technology Industries.”)
The Huffington Post piece cites two relevant studies: “A report last year on Women in the Workplace by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company revealed that nearly four in 10 women in technology feel their gender will make it difficult for them to advance in the future. A recent study by Bain & Company found that 43 percent of new female employees aspire to the C-suite, yet after two years that percentage plummets to 16 percent. By contrast, male aspiration to top leadership doesn’t wane with experience and in fact increases the closer men get to a corner office.”
The author suggests four steps companies should take to correct the situation, including: providing opportunities to make an impact, such as rotations; encouraging active sponsorship; building a diverse pipeline; and advocating for equalization, setting expectations for leadership teams.