Young women are studying science, engineering and technology in record numbers. They're excelling in school and outperforming men in the early years of their careers.
But more than half of women - 52 per cent - quit their private-sector jobs in science, engineering and technology, according to a survey of 2,800 women published in the June issue of the Harvard Business Review.
The dropouts aren't disillusioned young women: They're mostly between the ages of 35 and 40.
As the world faces a growing shortage of individuals in these professions - 42 per cent of Canadian manufacturers are struggling with a dearth of scientists, engineers and computer scientists, according to Statistics Canada - the survey's authors say companies should worry less about importing foreign labour and more about holding onto qualified women.
"I've seen many people come and go. It's a big problem," says Karen Webb, an Ontario engineer who is now a vice-president at an insurance company. While she still uses her degree, she says she's found more opportunities in non-engineering fields; she adds she doesn't miss the isolation and subtle sexism she encountered when she was working in construction. Contractors would inundate her - the lone female engineer - with unnecessary change requests and otherwise try to test her.
"Things are getting better, but very slowly," says Ms. Webb, 49, who attended a conference in Guelph, Ont., late last month for Canadian women in sciences, engineering, trades and technology. "I'm shocked to hear from the young engineers and tradespeople here how much of a barrier there is. It's surprising it's still quite that bad."
The new survey, The Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science, Engineering and Technology, attributes this female exodus to a wearying atmosphere of sexism in the sciences, along with extreme hours and family responsibilities that tend to ramp up for women around age 35.
In the study, researchers at the Center for Work-Life Policy, a non-profit research organization based in New York, describe the experience of Josephine, a high-tech "hot shot" whose boss once nicknamed her Finn. She found e-mails addressed to Finn were entirely different, and more useful, than the mail she received as Josephine. Some were stupid locker-room jokes, but others contained vital information, from gossip about who was on the outs with the CEO to intelligence on where new investments would be made.
One of the most poignant aspects of the survey is the finding that women in science, engineering and technology are generally happy: 88 per cent of women in science, 75 per cent in engineering and 71 per cent in technology report that they love their work. And they go into the fields for different reasons than men: A majority of women and a minority of men say the ability to contribute to the well-being of society is important to them.
Young women also outperform men in science, engineering and technology jobs: 75 per cent of women aged 25 to 29 are rated superb, excellent or outstanding in their performance reviews, the study says, compared with only 61 per cent of men in the same age range.
But by the time these women reach their late 30s, the shine has started to dull. The report identified five major factors that drive women away: hostile, macho workplace cultures; isolation; mysterious career paths; extreme work pressures, and a culture that rewards risk-taking and last-minute saves over preventing problems.
At the same time, the study says, women disproportionately shoulder family responsibilities. At 35, many women are either having their first child or adding a second child to the family. They are also more likely than men to be the primary caregiver for aging parents.
