Catalyst, a nonprofit organization that seeks to expand opportunities for women and business, has released the results of research into how well women fare in business roles in technology-intensive industries such as high tech and telecommunications, oil and gas, and automotive manufacturing.
Among the study’s findings is the fact that more than half of women who earned an MBA and then started in a business role in a tech-intensive industry left to take a position in another industry, while only 31% of men did. Women also tended to be paid less and to have fewer aspirations about rising to senior executive levels.
According to Deborah Gillis, President and CEO of Catalyst, “STEM companies face a serious talent drain as women take their skills elsewhere, but these organizations also have a remarkable opportunity to turn things around by focusing on how they can make all their talent—men and women alike—feel equally valued.”
The report also offers suggestions as to how STEM companies can change their culture and remove barriers.