A study by Harvard Business Review shows more than half of women in technology careers quit at the midlevel stage around ages 35 to 40 , a “ fight-or-flight ” stage when leaving could be detrimental to career trajectory . Researchers identified several reasons for this attrition : colleagues ’ machismo , feelings of isolation , lack of mentors , stifled performance resulting from a fear of failure , and poor work-life balance .
Throughout her career in the defense industry , Teresa Pace , Ph . D ., has experienced many of these . Like Giti , Teresa was often the only woman in engineering classrooms full of men , but it wasn ’ t until she began a career in the defense industry that she started feeling isolated . Working in an industry with roots in masculine culture , Teresa was hard-pressed to find allies or mentors and felt alone as a result . Luckily , she persevered and has now contributed her expertise to The Corridor ’ s high tech industry for more than 20 years .
“ I think the struggles sometimes come with juggling many different things … being a parent , working full time , traveling ,” add Teresa . “ When a company is willing to work with you and supports a healthy balance , I think that ’ s what really helps with retainment .”
As she continues advancing her career , Teresa has been part of a cultural shift , not only serving as a model for women in technology , but also as a participant in female-focused technology events . She recently attended the first-ever L3 Women ’ s Networking Forum , where she was joined by female leaders from across the company in discussions about their career experiences , along with forums for providing feedback and networking opportunities .
“ Being a woman in a maledominated field gives you the opportunity to give a perspective and offer up a solution that might be slightly different than your peers because you see it differently ,” said Teresa . “ I do believe there ’ s a difference between how men and women both approach problems .”
Evidenced at the event by Chairman , CEO and President Chris Kubasik ’ s speech on the key role women will play in the company ’ s “ 3.0 Culture ,” L3 Technologies is among industry leaders that have already identified internal factors contributing to a leaky workforce pipeline and are allocating resources to solve the problem . Efforts to value and support women throughout their technology careers will become increasingly important as work on the early pipeline comes to fruition . In fact , the Anita Borg Institute ’ s 2017 report on Top Companies for Women Technologists shows the number of women entering technology careers at the entry level is already increasing , which means the glass ceiling may be lower and break sooner for many women .
Giti summed it up best : “ We all need to become more comfortable with having conversations about these issues and we need to realize that this is not about discrimination or victimization . It is about creating a welcoming culture in STEM , free of misconceptions and stereotypes , for young girls and female colleagues at work . It is about empowering young girls to reach their full potential . It is about women being identified not by their gender , but by their intellect and abilities ... curiosity , the ability to invent , the urge to improve and the ability to lead .”
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