STEM & Women: 7 Steps for Addressing the Gender Recruitment Imbalance

Despite a growing talent shortage, STEM and the semiconductor sector are still failing to attract, recruit and retain female workers – here’s what’s gone wrong and how the industry can address the issue.

For all the talk about addressing gender imbalance within our industry in recent years, data shows that males still dominate, no matter the territory. For instance, in the UK, only 19% of tech workers are women while in the US, that figure stands at 25% despite females making up 47% of the country’s workforce.

Other countries don’t fare any better. For example, in India, females account for just over a quarter of all IT workers. The situation doesn’t improve higher up the career ladder either; for every 100 male managers, there are only 34 female managers according to Accenture.

From macro to micro: How the semiconductor sector has fallen behind

To better understand what drives the imbalance issue – and critically what can be done to address it – the semiconductor sector is a useful jumping off point as its gender imbalance appears to be particularly acute. According to a Global Semiconductor Alliance/Accenture survey, women represent as little as 10% of the workforce with the majority of companies having less than 1% of women in director roles and above. Recruitment isn’t helping either with hiring pipelines delivering an underwhelming 10-25%.

To address the ongoing issue, companies must take proactive steps through targeted initiatives designed to attract women:

1. START EARLY

Get involved when women are young. From initiatives that target girls – think the US-based Girls Who Code that takes high school girls on their first steps into STEM – through to outreach programmes targeted at female uni graduates, demonstrate that the sector is open and inclusive.

Evidence shows such initiatives have a significant impact. For instance, a survey by STEM Women reveals that 95% of female respondents would be more likely to apply to a company they had spoken to at a careers event. Better still, such events have been shown to help women reconsider their career paths because they have found the experience to be so positive.

2. GET HIRING RIGHT

Strip out any language that could be regarded as male-centric in job ads to make them more appealing to women. Consider introducing blind hiring techniques such as ‘blind CVs’ where any references to the applicant’s gender are removed. Also source potential candidates through recruitment agencies such as Vivid Technology that takes a diversity-first approach to hiring.

 Finally, align with nationwide women networks such as WISE in the UK or global outfits including AWIS and Girls in Tech, and establish best practises with the help of sector-specific women networks such as the Global Semiconductor Alliance’s Women’s Leadership Initiative.

3. THINK BIG

Make inclusivity and diversity part of the company’s core values; while a zero tolerance policy towards prejudice should and must be a given, real change only occurs when an organisation actively promotes a work culture where everyone is welcomed, nurtured and supported.

 Research by Accenture shows that in companies where equality is valued, women are almost four times more likely to advance to senior manager/director level and beyond. Drive such change by introducing diversity champions at all levels and be transparent and upfront about any existing gender pay gap issues: According to STEM Women, 65% of female STEM students would expect to read a company’s gender pay gap report before accepting a job offer.

4. THINK ‘small’

Create a lean-in community or women networks for new hires. These are small groups of women who can help and advise the new recruit, offering support and answering questions so the new hire can benefit from their lived experiences in, say, the semiconductor sector.

 5. TARGET BENEFITS

Create benefit policies that are female-focused – from paid maternity leave and aid for working mothers through to greater flexible working opportunities, such policies ensure women won’t feel as if they must conform to dated company practises. Instead, organisations can signal that they are an employer that understands the many challenges that women face in their daily lives, and are able to flex to accommodate them.

6. SUPERCHARGE CAREERS

Set up sponsor and mentor programmes; the latter offer one-to-one support to help nurture careers while the former provide a more proactive solution with the sponsor actively promoting and championing the female worker. It’s an approach that works with Harvard Business Review reporting that 68% of women with sponsors expressed career advancement satisfaction.

7. MOVE ON UP

Promote more women to board level. Research shows the greater the number of women in the C-Suite, the greater the acceleration of female talent through out the entire company. For instance, Accenture research reveals women are almost three times more likely to be fast tracked in organisations that have at least one female senior leader.

Bridging the gap: A win-win for all stakeholders

Addressing the gender issue within the semiconductor sector – and STEM as a whole – may seem almost insurmountable at first glance. But as pioneers in this space have shown, by adopting and implementing a coherent, structured approach, real changes can be made that benefit both women and bottom lines. Research already shows that hiring a greater number of women leads to stronger revenue growth and increased investment opportunities.

Perhaps the question here then isn’t whether a company should make efforts to address the imbalance – but if a company can afford not to. With talent shortages increasing, women are a vital part of the solution. By increasing the number of female workers, companies can future proof operations by sourcing new talent to counter the shortage issue, while watching laggard, even backward-facing competitors fall further and further behind. For companies and female workers alike then, addressing the gender imbalance actually represents a win-win for everyone involved in not only the semiconductor sector, but STEM as a whole.

To discuss how workforce gender imbalances can be addressed through effective recruitment, discuss your talent needs with Vivid Technology by contacting our specialists here: +44 (0)207 084 7223 // [email protected]