Celebrating International Women’s Day: How to Support Women in Engineering
K&A was built on the principle that diversity and inclusion spawn innovation and build a better company. And, together, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day by supporting women in the field of Engineering. We believe we can contribute to a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination by banding together with individuals and organizations who think the same.
We were inspired to share how K&A supports women in Engineering on International Women’s Day – and every day. We encourage you to join us in forging women’s equality. Here’s how you can get involved:
Participate in Early Education Opportunities: Research shows that exposure to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields earlier in life not only do better academically but are more likely to stick with a STEM career after college. As an expert in the field, consider participating in school career days or asking your local children’s librarian to put on an interactive session for students during the Summer. You may even find a few children interested in engineering that you can take under your wing.
Set-up Mentors in Your Organization: There’s nothing more empowering to a woman up-and-coming in Engineering than getting the chance to build a relationship with a successful woman in your company or field. It is a male-dominated industry and women may feel more comfortable opening-up to other women who’ve overcome obstacles in the space.
Offer Work-Life Balance: Women still take the brunt of the caretaking and homemaking responsibilities, so work-life balance is important for women to remain in the workforce. The pandemic is a good example that when there was a significant exit from the workforce, women were disproportionately affected. If women feel supported by their employer to take care of their personal obligations while maintaining a fulfilling career, they will reward your company with loyalty.
Consider an Employee Resource Group (ERG): Empowering employees to act on the issues they care most about will result in the most genuine actions. ERGs are typically funded by employers but run by a committee of employees with a shared passion. This gives employees the opportunity to support the organizations that directly impact women in Engineering. They can choose to participate in activities they care most about and can have the greatest influence.
Create a Culture of Inclusion and Belonging: You can put all kinds of programs in place, but without women genuinely feeling supported in your organization, they won’t stay. Ensure you provide regular diversity trainings to all staff to raise awareness of belonging and have a zero-tolerance policy for behavior that doesn’t align with your values. People should be able to come to work every day feeling comfortable in their own skin and feel like their employer and fellow employees have their back.
Inspire Women to Share Their Employment Stories: There’s no better mouthpiece for your organization supporting women in Engineering than the women you employ. If they feel comfortable, ask them to share their stories through employee testimonials. Encourage them to post it on their own social media platforms so your reach is expanded through their networks. Pro Tip: Video is an engaging way to share employee testimonials.
To learn more about joining the K&A Engineering Team, see our open positions here: https://www.kapower.us/careers
Sources:
https://www.mandlabs.com/why-stem-education-should-be-introduced-early-on-for-children
