8 Ways Men Can Support Women in STEM Workplaces
Over the years, women have been doing a lot of the heavy lifting in promoting diversity and inclusion. We’re making ourselves present and visible. We’re breaking barriers by taking on higher-level roles. We’re taking up more space. We’re negotiating more for higher pay. We’re doing the work, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. More women are getting STEM degrees than ever before! If the STEM workforce wants to see more women at the table, men need to step up and support women in their workplace. Women supporting women is only going to work so much. Men stepping up and putting in the work is going to help shift how culture and society view women in STEM
In this post, I’m going over eight simple ways that men can support their woman-identifying colleagues in the workplace.
Listen and Learn
It’s hard to understand women’s experiences in the STEM workplace when you haven’t experienced sexism firsthand. Listen to what the women in STEM are saying about their hardships. Learn about systemic gender bias. Learning is the first step! Then you can take action.
Speak up when women are spoken over
Women are often spoken over in meetings. Their comments are silenced, or they are simply stolen by other men in the room. For example, a woman brings up idea X. No one comments. Man, 15 minutes later, brings up the same idea X. He is applauded. This is a far too common scenario for women in the workplace. When this kind of behavior happens. Speak up! Say, I believe she brought that up earlier. Or whenever a comment goes unnoticed, say something like, “I think she had a great idea. Let’s talk about it.”
Amplify and cite women’s work
Young girls are often socialized to not “brag” about their accomplishments. Women are less likely to talk about their achievements because they’re taught it’s not polite. When women have good ideas and do good work, acknowledge it! Show it off, amplify it, and cite it in the future. It’s important to give credit where credit is due.
Nominate and promote women for leadership roles
When new leadership roles open up, nominate women for them, or encourage women to apply. More women in leadership is better for teams and results in more productive work environments. Having women in leadership roles signals to organizations and higher leadership that the company values diversity.
Stop assigning invisible and unpromotable work
Stop assigning women always to schedule the lunch order. Or take notes in the meeting. These small tasks involve little to no skill, and women can’t put them on their resumes. These are tasks that are expected of professionals and take time away from productive work.
Regularly check your privilege
Take time to do so introspection on your behavior in the STEM workplace. Do any of your behaviors perpetuate sexism? Have you failed to take action? what actions have you taken?
Invite women authors, speakers, and organizers to events
Women in STEM organizations and publishers often don’t make the short list of invited individuals for professional activities. Invite women to speak in seminars and conferences. Invite women to be guest editors in academic journals. Invite women to planning boards for conference. Involve women in these professional activities and make space for them at the table.
Advocate for change to institutional leadership
Women step up all the time and call out the institutional and systemic sexism and racism in the workplace. Men need to do the same. In the same way women are inspired by other women stepping up, men who see other men speak out will become more inclined to speak up in the future. Men must show institutional leadership and their bosses that diversity, equity, and inclusion matter to them. Because the more people who value this, the more leadership will take it seriously!
