Breaking the bias

I have always thought that ‘You can’t be it if you can’t see it’ is particularly true for women in Engineering or STEM generally. We need to give girls role models to look up to, mentor them through their young careers, and inspire them at a young age. My advice to these girls is to follow your passion and find a mentor who understands your drive and ambition to achieve.

Having worked in a number of consultancies I have noticed that the level of workplace flexibility has interestingly depended upon whether women are in leadership positions. Companies with women in higher levels of management have seemed to give staff more flexibility to juggle work and family obligations.

Girls need to be encouraged at a young age to pursue whatever discipline interests them. They need the basic background units available to them at the right time in their educational journey. For example, my all-girls high school offered some TAFE courses, but not the male dominated ones.

We need to ensure gender diversity is a regular item of discussion/promotion across the company. It’s also important that these fields of work are promoted as a profession for all - not just males - in schools at an early age. I strongly believe education on gender equality in schools should be a high priority.

Call out unacceptable behavior and hold people accountable for their actions. It’s especially difficult for victims to call out inappropriate behavior, so it’s important for others to speak up when they see or hear something.