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Gender bias in sciences 
Women paid less, receive fewer awards, resources
By Margaret Munro, Vancouver Sun, June 24, 2010 – p. B6
Women scientists in every country, including Canada, tend to be paid a lot less than their male counterparts, according to an international survey.
Six to 10 years after completing their PhDs, men’s salaries start to increase relative to women’s, according to the survey of 10,500 scientists that found a pronounced gender pay gap. And the gap widens over time, it found, with men’s salaries 18 to 40 per cent higher than women’s in Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, the United States and Canada. Male scientists in Canada averaged $80,000 US, compared to women whose pay is closer to $65,000.
The finding fits with a notable gender bias in Canadian science, where men win a lot more than big salaries. Last month, the Harper government awarded all 19 of its new $10-million research awards to men. Not only were no women selected for the prestigious prizes, called the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, but there was not a female name on the short list of 36 candidates considered.
The all-male prizes re-ignited a debate over whether gender equality will ever be a reality on Canadian campuses.
“That this sort of thing can still happen is an embarrassment for Canada and profoundly demoralizing for the women scientists in this country,” Lynne Quarmby, a professor in the molecular biology and biochemistry department at Simon Fraser University, said shortly after the all-male prizes were announced.
The results of a career survey in the journal Nature this week show the salary gender bias is an international phenomenon.
It is likely the result of “accumulating inequities in resources and respect,” says Kathleen Christensen, who specializes in workplace issues at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a non-profit research organization in New York.
Women scientists often start their careers with slightly lower salaries, in more poorly equipped labs, with fewer graduate students and appointments to less-prestigious committees, Christensen writes in a commentary.
Technical Interview Tips
by Sabina Nawaz
Three Ways To Find A Twinkle In Their Eye
3 keys to interviewing and hiring a candidate to die for, who you can live with- in the cubicle next to you
I have seen so many of them. They all are well dressed and pleasant. I like many but none has totally hit the mark. I really hope that he is The One.
I had flown back to the East Coast to conduct on campus college interviews sessions as a technical hiring manager on behalf of my company. By 11am I had already seen five candidates. After talking to each person, I’d recommend whether or not we fly them back for a day long interview at our headquarters. Whether on campus or in your office,
if you’ve interviewed candidates, I’m sure you’ve been where I was at this point. While it’s great to see a variety of candidates with many options from which to choose, you also really want the candidate in front of you to succeed. So you can have someone on board as soon as possible, so you can free up your calendar to do the rest of your job, and so you can delegate with confidence that it will be done well.
To help with this, wouldn’t it be great if you could measure the brilliance of the twinkle in their eyes and know your perfect candidate? Unfortunately we are not there. And so each of us develops some techniques, questions, approaches to interviewing. In addition to the specific technical questions you might pose, the points below cover three key areas to consider in helping you identify not just someone who looks good today but someone who will continue to be attractive after you have dealt with the issue threatening your next milestone. A full time hire lasts beyond your current project and might even outlast you.
It’s not just his skill but also his will
Your project was in crisis. His coding skills were superlative and he could definitely hit the ground running. You hired him. It’s been three months since he started. Number of lines of code written to date: zero. One of my hiring mistakes was someone like this. I was so bowled over by his technical prowess that I didn’t pay attention to an uneasy feeling in my gut. My gut was asking me to pay attention to the fact that he had his sunglasses on the whole time we talked. That he never described his specific contributions to a project when I probed behaviorally about his past projects. And that he obliquely blamed many different circumstances for lack of traction. Especially when you are in high need of certain skills and find yourself really excited about someone who is great in that arena, take the time to ask behavioral questions _ aimed at finding out if they’re just smart or if they also get things done. _Many people’s hiring mistakes are not because of a lack of the employee’s skill but a lack of will. We often have a barrage of skill based questions. How often do you ask will based questions?
Example questions:
•Describe your specific role and what you did on a project from start to finish.
•How did you handle unexpected situations?
•What would your manager/co-worker say was your most significant contribution to that project?
Look for:
•Specific contributions vs. generalized words like synergized, facilitated, and teamed up with.
Are others better because of her?
The twinkle in her eye might be bright because of their high IQ. But what about her EQ? Today’s business needs require more and more horizontal integration
and reliance on people across the globe. I currently coach a talented executive who is considering leaving his job because he is miserable every time he has to interact with a peer of his who I’ll call Joe. And the success of their business depends on their ability to work well together. He is not the only one. All of Joe’s peers find him challenging at best. They range from those who tolerate him and limit their interactions as much as possible to my client whose day job requires a heavy dose of Joe’s presence. The company might suffer both a business and talent casualty as a result of this non team player. Do you ask questions aimed at determining whether the candidate will be able to play well with others instead of someone who leaves a wake collateral damage?
Example questions:
•Describe a time when someone else wasn’t pulling their weight on a project that you were both on. What did you do?
•How did you handle a challenging situation with a co-worker?
•If you were to do this again, what would you do differently?
Look for:
•How accountable they are about their own actions and reactions vs. blaming others
•What they have learned through each experience
•How capable they are of challenging and changing their own assumptions and behaviors
Maybe is not an option
I loved the red in that dress. I adored the cute little piping in that jacket. And I absolutely had to have those shoes with the oversized buckles. I bought these three years ago. They still have their tags. Either because they didn’t fit just right or didn’t work with other things in my closet. When something has a spark of potential, I like to keep my options open. For as long as I can. Sometimes even longer than the expiration date for when I can return an unused and unsuitable purchase.
When interviewing candidates who are here to stay, I have to curb this desire. At the end of the interview process, if I don’t have a clear hire/no hire answer, if I’m still thinking of him as a ‘maybe’, then my answer converts to a ‘no hire’. Headcount is precious. And a bad hire will haunt you for several months if not years. If you find yourself hesitant, keep looking.
Sample questions (to ask yourself):
•What is it about this person that I concretely like?
•What is it about this person that I’m hesitant about?
•What did I not hear that I wished I’d heard during the interview?
Look for:
•Your gut reactions. What is it about the person that you may not yet have given voice to that’s making you uncertain?
•Others’ reactions – often they won’t have written it but talking to them could validate and clarify your own concerns
My day on the East Coast college campus ended at 5pm. I interviewed 14 candidates. It’s been five years since I left that company to start my own consulting practice. I’m happy to report that one of the people who I recommended as a ‘fly back’ that day still works there. She demonstrates will and not just skill, those around her love working with her, and she’s one of the first additions to new project teams.
………………………………………………………
Sabina Nawaz is an executive coach and leadership development consultant with a global business of clients in 22 different countries and companies worth more than $100 billion. She has deep, hands-on experience having started her career in software development. Sabina brings a C-suite view into a variety of organizations around the world. To learn more about her work, or ask further questions about this article, visit http://www.sabinanawaz.com
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Report: Pipeline’s Broken Promise
pipelines_broken_promise_final_021710.pdf
read more >>
Report: Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
The AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) has released the following comprehensive report on the status of women in STEM. The report was funded in part by the National Science Foundation in the United States. Read a copy of the report here.
Video Celebrating Technical Women
The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology has created a video montage piece celebrating the wonderful diversity of technical women. Watch the video here.
Increasing Women in SETT: The Business Case
A Summary of Literature Review and Sector Scan compiled by Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT Centre). The WinSETT Centre is a catalyst for the sustained employment and progress of women in SETT fields. The Centre will achieve its mission by developing and disseminating through collaboration and partnerships, the tools and expertise useful to industry, government, educational institutions, and women in SETT organizations. The Centre was established by the Canadian Coalition of Women in
Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) in 2009.
You can view the report at The_Business_Case_for_Increasing_Women_in_SETT_Nov_2009.pdf
Celebrating Canadian Women’s Contributions to Innovation!
The Reverse Cooking Stove – Ruth Adams – 1854, Ontario
First Canadian patent issued to a woman
The stove was designed to have multiple functions. It provided a warming oven, a cook stove and top, and also served as a furnace to warm the kitchen. The British Government issued the patent for Ruth’s invention as Canadian Confederation was still 12 years away.
The Bissell Carpet Sweeper – Anna Sutherland – 1876, Nova Scotia
Canadian ingenuity created a North American household icon
Anna and her husband Melville designed and built a carpet sweeper machine. The idea came when Anna often became frustrated with sweeping tiny, stubborn particles clinging to the carpet. For more than 100 years, people across the continent have used this invention to clean their carpets.
Following Melville Bissell’s death, Anna stepped in and confidently took control of the company, becoming America’s first female corporate CEO.
Aeroplane Builder – Elizabeth (Elsie) MacGill – 1930s, Ontario
The queen of the Hurricanes!
As a chief engineer, Elsie was put in charge of the production of the Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. She redesigned components of the plane, oversaw the design and the manufacture of the tools needed for production, developed a winterized version equipped with de-icers and skis, and supervised a staff of 4,500 people. This fighter plane was used by the British Royal Air Force during World War II and became instrumental in the Battle of Britain.
Elsie was the first woman in Canada to obtain an applied science degree in electrical engineering and the first woman in North America to graduate with a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. She was also the first woman to design an aircraft: The Maple Leaf Trainer.
Awards and Recognitions: Elsie MacGill is recognized for her achievements in the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame of the Innovation Canada exhibition at the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
The Cobalt 60 Therapy Unit – Sylvia Fedoruk – 1950s, Saskatchewan
Giving people a chance at life
Sylvia Fedoruk helped to design and develop the first cobalt machine to use radiation to treat cancer patients effectively. She also developed a scanning device that used radioactive iodine to determine whether or not a patient’s thyroid gland was cancerous.
For more than 50 years, countless lives around the world have been saved because of a Canadian invention that changed the way cancer was treated. The first cancer patient treated with this invention lived another 50 years, well into her 90s.
Awards and Recognitions: Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan (1988-1994), Recipient of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, Named Officer of the Order of Canada, Recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from four Canadian universities
The Jolly Jumper – Susan Olivia Poole – 1954, British Columbia
Parents around the world have used this invention
The Jolly JumperTM is a baby exerciser consisting of a soft fitting saddle which supports the baby’s back and is suspended from a gentle action spring hung from the ceiling or the door frame. Olivia, raised in North Dakota, remembered observing the Ojibwa Aboriginal mothers keeping their papooses contentedly in motion when suspended from the limb of a tree.
Actar 911 – Dianne Croteau – 1985, Ontario
A new life saving tool!
The industrial designer Dianne Croteau, and her partner Richard Brault, created a lightweight and affordable mannequin designed to teach people cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Its innovative design makes it portable and suitable for wet conditions, such as lifeguard training.
A Design for Better Bed Sheets – Gisèle Jubinville – 1994, Alberta
A good night’s sleep and a financially secure future
Gisèle was convinced there had to be a better way to make fitted bed sheets so they didn’t come untucked in the night. She sewed hundreds of designs, ignoring discouraging comments. One night, she awoke having dreamt of the perfect design. The hard work was not yet over. The following three years of production made it clear to her that she couldn’t compete with the big companies. Instead of giving up, she sold her patent for $1 million U.S. to an American sheet manufacturer. Today, Gisèle has the satisfaction of having fought for what she believed in and encourages others to follow their intuition in finding their own answers.
Thermal Conductivity Instruments – Nancy Mathis – 1995, New Brunswick
To save money and improve product quality
This PhD. chemical engineer is a world-leading scientific authority in thermal conductivity. She is the inventor of the sensor technology behind the first non-destructive thermal conductivity measurement instrument. This information is very important for industries that need to measure the way their products transfer heat out of hot places. It helps companies to save money and improve product quality.
Awards and Recognitions: 2004: Canadian Junior Chamber’s “Outstanding Young Canadians” Award in the category of innovation, 2003: Recipient of the prestigious $100 000 Manning Principal Award recognizing leading Canadian innovators since 1982, 2002: The inaugural award by the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers of Canada for Support of Women in Engineering, 2002: Cited as one of the “Top 15 Women to Watch” by Chatelaine Magazine, 1999: R&D Award issued to the top 100 innovative products worldwide (sponsored by R&D Magazine) joining Polaroid and the ATM, Profit Magazine’s Canada’s 50 Hottest Startups, 1997: The Business Development Bank of Canada named her Young Entrepreneur of the year, IBM (computers), ExxonMobil (petroleum) and Dow Corning (composite materials) are just a few of the companies that use the TC PROBE as part of the manufacturing process
Insulated and Ergonomic Dishes – Sarah and Alexandra Levy – 1998, Quebec
Making a difference for people with special needs
An innovative mother and daughter team created a concept in dishware adapted for autonomous and semi-autonomous people with light dexterity problems. These dishes vastly improve quality of life by enabling people to eat with dignity and far greater autonomy than with conventional dishes.
This is the first line of thermal dishware in the international market, which is also microwave safe, as well as recyclable. The products are used in short and long-term health care institutions across North America.
Source: Canadian Intellectual Property Office http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca
Slides from Maria Klawe’s presentation Changing the World
Maria Klawe presented the talk Changing the World at UBC on May 29th. Find the PowerPoint presentation slides at Changing_the_World.pdf
Watch Volunteers Director Linda Lanyon on YouTube
Linda is featured on Volunteer Vancouver’s new YouTube channel.
Biographies of Canadian Women in Science
Canadian women have been active participants in a broad spectrum of scientific endeavour for several hundred years. The Library and Archives Canada has compiled biographies of 15 notable scientists. Medicine, architecture, engineering, aeronautical, biological and agricultural sciences are among the fields in which these women worked. Many of them faced enormous challenges in their personal and professional lives. Despite these challenges, they have made significant contributions to scientific research, achieved firsts in their fields and furthered the advancement of women in non-traditional areas of activity.
Read more about the following pioneering women here:
Maude Abbott Physician
Roberta Bondar Astronaut
Carrie Derick Botanist; (First Canadian Female University Professor)
Ursula Franklin Physicist
Monique Frize Electrical Engineer
Jean Goodwill Nurse
Esther Marjorie Hill Architect
Irma LeVasseur Physician
Elizabeth Muriel Gregory MacGill Engineer (first woman aircraft designer in the world)
Jeanne Mance Nurse
Margaret Newton Plant Pathologist
Julie Payette Astronaut
Marie-Henriette LeJeune Ross Midwife and Healer
Irene Ayako Uchida Geneticist
Alice Wilson Geologist
Back to School: Five Myths about Girls and Science
1. Myth: From the time they start school, most girls are less interested in science than boys are.
Reality: In elementary school about as many girls as boys have positive attitudes toward science. A recent study of fourth graders showed that 66 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys reported liking science. But something else starts happening in elementary school. By second grade, when students (both boys and girls) are asked to draw a scientist, most portray a white male in a lab coat. The drawings generally show an isolated person with a beaker or test tube. Any woman scientist they draw looks severe and not very happy. The persistence of the stereotypes start to turn girls off, and by eighth grade, boys are twice as interested in STEM careers as girls are. The female attrition continues throughout high school, college, and even the work force. Women with STEM higher education degrees are twice as likely to leave a scientific or engineering job as men with comparable STEM degrees.
2. Myth: Classroom interventions that work to increase girls’ interest in STEM run the risk of turning off the boys.
Reality: Actually, educators have found that interventions that work to increase girls’ interest in STEM also increase such interest among the boys in the classroom. When girls are shown images of women scientists and given a greater sense of possibility about the person they could become, the boys get the message too—”I can do this!”
There are more opportunities than ever for girls and boys to explore science together. One resource: the discoveries, games and hands-on experiments available at http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/.
3. Myth: Science and math teachers are no longer biased toward their male students.
Reality: In fact, biases are persistent, and teachers often interact more with boys than with girls in science and math. A teacher will often help a boy do an experiment by explaining how to do it, while when a girl asks for assistance the teacher will often simply do the experiment, leaving the girl to watch rather than do. Research shows that when teachers are deliberate about taking steps to involve the female students, everyone winds up benefiting. This may mean making sure everyone in the class is called on over the course of a particular lesson, or asking a question and waiting 10 seconds before calling on anyone. Good math and science teachers also recognize that when instruction is inquiry-based and hands-on, and students engage in problem solving as cooperative teams, both boys and girls are motivated to pursue STEM activities, education and careers.
Resisting stereotypes and furthering opportunities, Girls Creating Games was created as an after-school and summer program designed to support the interest of middle school girls in computers and information technology. Its goal is to increase the number of women and girls in the IT workforce. A sample of the girls’ creations is accessible at http://programservices.etr.org/gcgweb/.
4. Myth: When girls just aren’t interested in science, parents can’t do much to motivate them.
Reality: Parents’ support (as well as that of teachers) has been shown to be crucial to a girl’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Making girls aware of the range of science and engineering careers available and their relevance to society works to attract more women (as well as men) to STEM careers. Parents and teachers are also in a position to tell young people what they need to do (in terms of coursework and grades) to put themselves on a path to a STEM career.
Best known as the first American woman to travel in space, Sally Ride is also a physicist, educator, and author. She is the founder of Sally Ride Science, a science content company dedicated to supporting girls’ and boys’ interests in science, math and technology. She offers a guide for parents, “Science Can Take Her Places” at http://www.sallyridescience.com/.
5. Myth: At the college level, changing the STEM curriculum runs the risk of watering down important “sink or swim” coursework.
Reality: The mentality of needing to “weed out” weaker students in college majors – especially in the more quantitative disciplines – disproportionately weeds out women. This is not necessarily because women are failing. Rather, women often perceive “Bs” as inadequate grades and drop out, while men with “Cs” will persist with the class. Effective mentoring and “bridge programs” that prepare students for challenging coursework can counteract this. Changing the curriculum often leads to better recruitment and retention of both women and men in STEM classrooms and majors. For example, having students work in pairs on programming in entry-level computer science and engineering (CSE) courses leads to greater retention of both men and women in CSE majors. In addition, given that many students (including men) have difficulty with spatial visualization and learning, coursework in this area has helped retain both women and men in engineering schools.
*Compiled by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program which seeks to broaden the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education fields by supporting research, the diffusion of research-based innovations, and extension services in education that will lead to a larger and more diverse domestic science and engineering workforce.
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